Hinamori's Apprentice
by Kalow
Summary: Momo struggles to get stronger, learn to work with her new captain, patch up a strained friendship with Toushiro and earn the respect of other Shinigami. As she faces these challenges, she is assigned yet another responsibility: training Karin Kurosaki!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Hinamori's Apprentice

Summary: Momo Hinamori struggles to get stronger, learn to work with her new captain, patch up a strained relationship with Toushiro Hitsugaya, and earn the respect of other Shinigami. As she faces these challenges, she is assigned yet another responsibility, training Ichigo's sister, Karin!

Characters: Momo Hinamori, Karin Kurosaki, Toushiro Hitsugaya, and Ichigo Kuroski.

A/N: I came up with the idea of a story featuring Hinamori having an apprentice a few nights ago, and liked the idea so much that I started right away. Initially I was just planning to use an original character, but decided on using Karin as she already has connections to Ichigo and Hitsugaya. I know there's a lot of antagonism between Momo and Karin fans, but I like both characters, and hope fans of both will give the story a chance. There will be no romantic pairing, but Hitsugaya will be a fairly prominent character in the story.

* * *

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter One_

Momo Hinamori leapt out of the way, avoiding Renji Abarai's strike. She landed back on her feet in a defensive position, holding her sword in front of her. Renji struck again, this time with more force. Momo immediately turned her blade to block the strike, forcing the tip of the blade down and sidestepping before delivering a downwards strike herself. Renji blocked this, forcing her blade back. With a grunt, he forced her blade to the side and delivered an aggressive slash at her. Momo leaned away, missing the strike by inches, and brought her own sword back, pinning Renji's blade against the ground.

"Hey, watch it!" she said, "You nearly hit me that time!"

"If I didn't fight seriously you wouldn't get anything out of this," Renji said. He pulled his sword straight back and raised it for an overhead strike. Momo blocked it with the flat side of her blade a few inches above her head.

"That's not my point! You're being too aggressive!"

"Well what's with your form? Usually you don't fight this way, your usual form is entirely different," Renji said, delivering a cut from the side of Momo's head, with her swinging her sword up to block.

"I'm trying to perfect a variation of my regular style so that I'll be more versatile in combat," she said, ducking down and slashing at Renji's torso, forcing him to leap back.

"Bah, you were never good at swordsmanship," Renji said, "I always beat you back at the academy."

"I beat you a few times! Besides, when it came to Kido I always beat you!" Momo said, performing several short swings that Renji effortlessly dodged merely by stepping from side to side and forward and back.

"Yeah well you're not going to get very far with the fighting style you're trying out now! If I were you I'd stick to your old style! The stuff you're trying now is way more aggressive than the stuff you usually do," Renji said.

"I plan to stupid! This is to supplement it, not replace it! I'm fine with my regular style, but when I'm forced to use abandon that, I always lose! I need a more defensive form that I can use alongside my current one," Momo said.

"I say you're just making excuses because your swordsmanship is so bad! Matsumoto says that you're aiming to become the new Captain of Fifth Division before Ichigo assumes the position! She even says you're planning to work on Bankai!"

"It's obvious that Kurosaki will become the next Fifth Division Captain, it would be foolish for me to try to get there before him," Momo said, ducking one of Renji's swings, "As for Bankai, so what if I have a goal? It's not like I expect it to happen right away. Besides, if you can do it how hard can it be?"

"What? Why you…" Renji rushed forward and gave a powerful downwards chop. Momo immediately stepped out of the way and brought her sword down straight behind his, hitting it just above the hilt, simultaneously moving the blade towards her and pulling it from Renji's hand. Renji looked at her in shock, to which she only gave a tiny smile.

"See?" she said, "My new style is a success!"

"Hey…that stuff you did earlier…that wasn't your new style at all!" Renji said, "It was all part of your plan to get me into the right position!"

"That's right!" Momo said brightly.

"You tricked me you cheater!" Renji said in annoyance. Momo laughed.

"No, I just planned things out better than you!" she said, "I'm obviously not strong enough to overpower you, so I outplanned you."

"You didn't just outplan him," Izuru Kira walked over from the side of the dueling area, "Your movements at the end were entirely different from your usual style."

"That's right!" Momo said cheerily, "Zanpakuto combat has never really been my strongest area of skills, but hopefully I can reach a greater level."

"That'll never happen," Renji said, "You'll never get up to my level, or even Izuru's level!"

"I just beat you!" Momo said indignantly.

"Yeah, but it didn't count because you cheated," Renji said.

"You want me to beat you again?" Momo said daringly.

"Ha! We'll see about that!" Renji grinned.

"Okay, okay, I think that's enough," Izuru said, "Momo is already above the level of most Shinigami, so is there really a point to this?"

"Yeah! To go beyond that!" Momo said, "I want to get strong enough to earn people's respect! I'm working with Kido and physical combat as well! I'm going to get stronger all around and earn people's respect."

"Don't you mean Captain Hitsugaya's respect?" Renji said, giving her a meaningful look.

"What? N-no, that's not what I meant at all!" Momo said, "I want to be respected by everyone, not just him!"

"When will you two make up?" Izuru said, "It's silly to avoid eachother over a little argument."

"We did make up! We're just…not seeing eachother as much. But we're not avoiding eachother, it's only a coincidence!" Momo said.

"Whatever you say…" Renji said, rolling his eyes.

"Hey look," Izuru said. A hell butterfly had just fluttered into the training grounds. Momo reflexively extended her finger, which the butterfly landed on. It flapped its wings, conveying the message, before flying away.

"Darn it," Momo sighed, "I've gotta go, there's another meeting with Kurosaki."

"Don't you mean _Captain_ Kurosaki?" Renji said.

"He's not Captain yet. Besides, we don't even know for certain if he will actually end up as Captain. Therefore, I do not refer to him as Captain," Momo said.

"What's your problem with him anyways?" Renji asked, "You always seem to get tense whenever he's mentioned, and you don't seem to like him much."

"I don't have a problem with him! I just…don't think he's Captain material," Momo said.

"Oh, and how is that?" Renji asked.

"I…I'd better get to the meeting," Momo said hastily, beginning to walk off, "Bye, thanks for training with me!"

---

"Hey Toushiro!"

"That's Captain Hitsugaya!"

"Not to me!"

Karin Kurosaki ran over to Captain Toushiro Hitsugaya as he stood in his Shinigami uniform atop the school.

"So, what are you doing up here?" Karin asked.

"I've been assigned to watch over the area for hollows," Toushiro replied.

"Is it normal for Captains to be put on patrol duty?" Karin asked.

"No," Toushiro said shortly, not looking at Karin.

"So why are you here? Rangiku told me all about what's been happening and-"

"I'm docking her pay for giving out information like that," Toushiro growled.

"Well, anyways, she told me all about what's been going on and said that this guy you were fighting was defeated! So why are you still here if that's all taken care of?"

"If you must know, arrancars and hollows have been attacking the area at greater than normal frequencies. We're thinking that it's rogue individuals who don't know what to do after they lost the glory they had under Aizen," Toushiro said, "Now go away, I'm on duty."

"Come on, won't you get lonely?" Karin asked.

"Nope."

"What about Ichigo, when will he be coming back?" Karin asked.

"What do you mean? He's at your house right now."

"No, that's Kon. Rangiku told me everything. A Captain…what an accomplishment! So how often will he be visiting home?"

"You sure ask a lot of questions. I don't know when he'll come back here. He hasn't been confirmed as Captain yet and he still has to get things taken care of here first. As far as Soul Society is concerned, he is only a Shinigami representative at this point, and we need to work things out. It is highly likely he will be confirmed as Captain," Toushiro said, getting increasingly tired, "Now go away, Shinigami aren't supposed to interact with humans."

"But I wanted to talk to you some more!" Karin said, "So how is that friend of yours doing?" Toushiro froze and turned to look at her for the first time in the conversation.

"What?"

"Your friend, you mentioned your friend before. How is she doing?" Karin asked. Hitsugaya sighed.

"Yeah, she's fine. In fact, if he's confirmed Ichigo will have her as a Vice-captain," Toushiro said.

"Really? That's cool!" Karin said. Toushiro sighed in relief, glad he was able to deflect a question over his and Momo's…strained relationship.

"I'll be going now," Toushiro said, leaping over to the next building, wanting to go away before Karin asked him more questions.

---

So…what did you want me for?" Momo asked. She was at a meeting with Captain Ukitake, Captain Kuchiki, Ichigo Kurosaki, and Captain-commander Yamamoto. Yamamoto sat behind his large desk with the others standing in front of him. Momo felt overwhelmed by the presence of the immensely powerful individuals around her. She attempted to put on a strong face, but was aware that her nervousness probably showed.

"As Kurosaki here will soon be entering the Fifth Division, it will be necessary for him to be introduced to the duties of Captain of that division," Yamamoto explained.

"Why, hasn't he already studied that? Does he really need me to explain to him how everything works? Shouldn't a Captain candidate already know how a division is run?" Momo asked, a rough edge to her voice.

"Watch your words Vice-Captain Hinamori," Byakuya Kuchiki said, "That is your future Captain you are speaking of."

"I…I" Momo stuttered, her composure falling apart under the stern looks of the Captains before her. She straightened her back and gave a respectful bow. "My apologies for my insolent words. It won't happen again."

"Forget it, you don't need to beg for forgiveness, I don't care," Ichigo said, roughly patting her on the shoulder. Momo bit her lip. Shouldn't a Captain be offended by remarks like the one she made? She had disrespected him, and he brushed it off like it was nothing. It wasn't that she wanted him to be angry at her, but she didn't like the way he responded to it.

"Well then," she said quickly, "What specifically should I do to introduce him to the division's inner-workings."

"You are the Acting-Captain of the Fifth Division, I would think you know the vital details of how to operate a division," Yamamoto said gruffly. Momo paused for a moment before bowing again, not liking this one bit but knowing that she had no choice.

"Understood sir. I will take Kurosaki to the office with me tomorrow and show him-"

"Today," Yamamoto interrupted, "You will take him today. The sooner he is introduced to the Division's workings the better."

"T-Tomorrow would work better for me," Momo said.

"He'll be going to work with you tomorrow as well. He'll need more than one day to memorize the workings of the division thoroughly and be able to effectively handle the division. Remember that you also must find time to train him in Kido. You haven't been living up to your commitments," Yamamoto said.

"But I have a report to do on sentries in District 71! With him there I can't complete-"

"You will complete it and Kurosaki will be there to watch. You will demonstrate the proper way a Division is led, and when you're done you will train him in Kido to make up for the hours you missed last week. No more excuses, understood?" Yamamoto said. Momo gulped.

"Understood sir," she said tensely.

---

It was nearly dark, and Karin Kurosaki was walking home with her friends after playing soccer for several hours.

"Did you see the way I kicked that ball! I'm going to be better than you someday Karin!" one of them said.

"Don't count on it, I'm still way better than you," Karin said, dragging the ball behind her in a bag.

"Yeah, well as guys we will beat you some day," the same boy said, "After all, guys are stronger than girls. We just need to wait and-" He got cut off by a smack to the side of the head.

"Anyone else think that men are better than women?" she asked, cracking her knuckles. The others quickly shook their heads, not wanting to get on her bad side.

Suddenly Karin froze, a familiar feeling overcoming her. She turned around and looked behind her.

"Oh no, not now…" she muttered. Behind her was a large hollow. She couldn't see it, but knew instinctively it was there. She turned to the others, who continued to walk at a leisurely pace, unaware of the danger behind them.

"Hey guys!" Karin said anxiously, "Why don't we pick up the pace! I want to get home early!"

"You pick up the pace yourself! We just got done trying to keep up with you for an hour, we deserve a leisurely walk home!" one of them said. Karin glanced over her shoulder and saw that the hollow was already there.

It was huge, the size of a three story building. It had a demonic look about it, and instead of hands had two huge curved claws on each arms. It was advancing forward slowly but steadily. Karin was beginning to panic. She had to get the others away from here.

"Guys! I just remembered, my sister was making a cake tonight! If we hurry you can come over to have some before going back you your place!" she said quickly.

"Yeah right, like we'll believe that!" one of them snorted.

"Come on! We've got to go!" Karin yelled at them.

"What the heck is your problem?"

"Go!" Karin yelled. She looked back, but to her surprise the hollow wasn't there. Everything was still for a minute. Then there was suddenly a huge crash behind them. The hollow was there, its claws smashed into the road, cracking the concrete.

"What's going on, an earthquake?" one of the boys yelled as the hollows footsteps caused the ground to shake.

"Run!" Karin screamed, getting out her soccer ball. The boys finally began to run, not knowing what was going on but well aware that something serious was happening. Karin turned and kicked the soccer ball straight at the hollow's mask. The ball hit it in the mask, causing a scuff on it but causing no real damage. Karin groaned. She suspected that the soccer ball trick wouldn't work, it was only effective against weak hollows.

She turned to run but in her haste tripped, falling down. She could hear the huge hollow approaching, but knew that now she wouldn't be able to get away in time. She covered her face in fear, not knowing what to do and not wanting to see the beast when it killed her. The earth shook around her as it stepped forwards. She screamed as its foot landed right next to her, crushing the concrete. She was shaking, sure that any moment would be her last. After several minutes had passed however, she looked up and saw that the hollow had gone past her. She sighed for a moment in relief, before realizing that this meant it was now going after the others. Quickly standing up, she ran over behind it.

"Hey! Hey! Over here!" she yelled, waving her arms and trying to get its attention, "I'm over here you big stupid beast!" Looking around her, she reached down and picked up a piece pavement broken by the monstrous hollow's footsteps. With all of her might, she threw it at the hollow. It hit the hollow right behind the head, causing it to slowly turn around.

Just as the hollow turned its head, Karin realized to her horror that she had just gained the hollow's attention herself. Within moments it had raised its huge spiked arm. Karin was frozen in fear, unable to run. The hollow swung its spiked arm at her with tremendous force.

The next thing Karin knew she was standing over her own body, a chain coming from her chest.

* * *

Thanks for reading! I know that some of my usual fans might not necessarily like Karin, but I'm hoping everyone will at least give this story a chance. Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter Two_

Karin stared down in horror. Her body lay lifeless on the ground, a massive gash across the stomach. She began to feel sick and collapsed to her knees, staring into the blank lifeless eyes of her body.

"Oh no…no, no, no…this can't be happening…" she whispered to herself, tears coming to her eyes. She didn't want to believe it, but she knew the truth. She was dead. Her corpse was right in front of her, and she was standing above it as a spirit. She knew from past experiences what this was, but her mind simply could not comprehend it. It was over, she was dead. She pulled a little on the chain coming from her chest, wincing in pain from the action.

She heard a loud shriek above her, and realized that the hollow was still there. She wanted to run, but she was simply too stunned and scared to move. She could only stare as the hollow came for her.

Just as it was reaching one of its massive arms down towards her however, there a white flash flew past it. The hollow shrieked as its severed arm hit the ground with a thud, Toushiro Hitsugaya standing behind it, zanpakuto drawn. The hollow roared and turned its attention to him. It prepared to attack but before it even had the chance he had leapt into the air and brought his sword down on its head, shattering its mask and causing the hollow to disintegrate. Upon landing on the ground, he sheathed his sword and turned to face Karin.

"Watch yourself, next time I might not be here to-" he abruptly stopped upon seeing Karin's mangled body on the ground and her spirit kneeling down next to it.

"Toushiro…I'm dead, aren't I?"

---

"So why do we need to keep track of these sorts of things?" Ichigo asked.

"I already told you, by keeping track of human death rates over a geographical area, we are able to determine where to position Shinigami, how many, and how to prepare them," Momo said impatiently. They sat at a desk, reading several reports on the status and mortality rates of land under Fifth Division's jurisdiction. Momo kept a notepad on hand, occasionally writing down notes.

"Yeah, but it's just so…morbid," Ichigo said.

"You're thinking as a human. If you want to successfully lead this Division, you're going to have to think like a Shinigami," Momo said.

"But I'm both a human and a Shinigami," Ichigo said.

"Well you'll have to learn to only be a Shinigami while on duty, and Shinigami must accept the reality of death and not form attachments to the human world," Momo said, "It's not that we don't have emotions or feelings, but when we do our job we must leave them behind."

"Well I think that you guys could stand to not be so strict about that stuff," Ichigo said lazily. This comment was too much for Momo. She slammed her hand down on the desk angrily.

"Don't you realize how important this is? As a Captain you'll be facing tremendous responsibility! You'll be in charge of all affairs of the Fifth Division as well as having to take care of the dangerous missions that are assigned to Captains! The Fifth Division contains roughly 450 Shinigami. Those Shinigami are responsible for an area of 2,544,000 square miles containing over 440 million humans! In addition, Fifth Division is the messenger division, which means we are also responsible for managing communications within Seireitei! As Captain you will have to manage that as effectively and efficiently as possible! You're treating this whole thing like a joke!" Momo breathed heavily after her yelling. As she calmed down, she realized that she had just shouted at the man who would soon be her Captain.

Before Ichigo could respond to her, the door was thrown open and a messenger had come in.

"Sir, there is an urgent message for you from Captain Hitsugaya in the World of the Living! Captain Ukitake has asked to give you the message personally. You are to meet with him immediately!" the messenger recited. Ichigo sighed and turned to Momo.

"We'll discuss this later," he said before walking out.

---

"I can't believe this," Karin said tearily, "This can't be happening!"

"I just sent a message to Soul Society. Ichigo will be coming as soon as he can," Toushiro said. They stood at the side of the road. Emergency vehicles were already there, the area blocked off to traffic. Baffled police surveyed the badly damaged road as Karin's body was taken away. Toushiro had agreed to have Ichigo come and be the one to perform Konso on Karin to send her to Soul Society.

"Why did this have to happen?" Karin asked, "There's still so in life! College, a job, marriage, children, retirement…I'll never have the chance to experience any of those things!"

"I'm sorry," Toushiro said, a rare soft tone in his voice, "It's probably not much consolation, but I died at a young age too. I was six at the time. I got lost outside during the winter and froze to death. I know it's not going to make you feel better, but I just want you to know that I do know how it feels to be in your situation right now."

"I…I just can't believe it," Karin said, "Just this afternoon I was worrying about homework and what I'd be having for dinner, and now suddenly this."

They were silent, watching as the vehicle holding Karin's body drove away, leaving only the investigation team.

"Toushiro, take me to where they're taking my body. My family will probably be in the same place. I…just want to see them one last time before passing on," Karin said.

"Are you sure? Do you really want your last memory of them to be seeing them grieving over your body?" Toushiro asked.

"I…I just want to see them again…" Karin said. Toushiro sighed.

"Okay, but we'll have to get back here right afterwards. This is where Ichigo was told to meet up with us." Toushiro picked up Karin and shunpoed off after the car carrying her body.

---

Ichigo was a nervous wreck. Upon hearing of Karin's fate, he had nearly collapsed. He now stood next to Rukia, preparing to leave Soul Society for Karakura town.

"Are you ready Ichigo?" Rukia asked.

"No, not really," Ichigo admitted through gritted teeth. His entire body felt numb from grief. Karin was dead…he didn't want to believe it! It was just too much.

"The Senkaimon will open at the location where you'll be meeting up with Captain Hitsugaya," Ukitake explained, "I know that you're filled with a lot of grief right now, but remember what you have to do. You may talk with her, but you'll have to perform Konso on her in the end. I know you'll be tempted to try something else, but Konso is the only way for her soul to properly pass on."

"Yes sir," Ichigo said quietly. Just then, the Senkaimon opened.

"Come on Ichigo," Rukia said. Ichigo nodded solemnly and they both walked through.

---

Momo Hinamori lied on the side of a hill, munching on a peach. It was sunset, and she found the atmosphere relaxing, even as she worried about Ichigo and the future of the division.

"Hey Momo." Momo turned around to see Renji walking over to her. "Mind if I sit down with you?"

"Sure, be my guest," Momo said in a friendly tone. Renji sat down next to her.

"So, what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing really. Do you know what Kurosaki left for?" Momo asked.

"No, they wouldn't tell me. He left for the world of the living a short while ago," Renji said.

"I see…"

"So, I heard you got into a fight with him," Renji said.

"Who told you that?" Momo said defensively.

"A couple of members of your division. They say your shouting could be heard throughout the entire building!" Renji laughed. Momo slapped herself in the face and groaned.

"Oh man, I can't believe it," she muttered.

"Yeah, I'm a bit surprised too. You were always so bright and cheerful in the past, but you've been changing lately. You've been moody and serious and obsessed with your work," Renji said, "I personally blame it on your work schedule."

"What do you mean?" Momo asked.

"Well think about it. Now that Aizen's gone- oh, sorry," Renji quickly said as he saw Momo flinch at the name of her traitorous former Captain, "Well, now that your division doesn't have a Captain, you've been doing all of the duties of both a Captain and Vice-Captain for over a year. That's gotta be stressful for you, and probably why you've been acting differently."

"I suppose it might be, but I don't think I've changed that much," Momo said, "I still try to be nice to people and my life is reasonably happy."

"Well, I guess it's more noticeable to outside observers. I'm thinking that it might have something to do with the Captain position in general. Izuru and Hisagi are both acting Captains too, and they've gotten a lot more serious to."

"Toushiro too…I mean Captain Hitsugaya," Momo said, "Before becoming Captain, he acted way different. He was a little grumpypants, but he still acted like a kid. Now he acts like a miniature adult and is always so businesslike."

"Yeah, well, people change over time," Renji said.

"No, that's not it. It's not time that changed us, it's being a Shinigami that changed us," Momo said.

"What do you mean?" Renji asked.

"You should understand, you were once just a normal soul in Rukongai like I was. Now we're Shinigami, gods of death. You and I are basically the equivalent of human teenagers, but look what we've seen and done. We're both trained in combat and are senior leaders in a military system. I know that both of us have killed people at certain points. We've both seen so much death that we're practically desensitized to it. We've both changed from what we used to be like, and stepping up to Captainship just changes a person even more."

"That's what this is all about, isn't it?" Renji said, "I was right before, wasn't I? You want the Captain position yourself, which is why you were being so rough on Ichigo."

"I…okay, fine, you're right," Momo said.

"Why do you want it though? All of the extra work is clearly getting to you. Why not let Ichigo be Captain so that you can focus on your Vice-Captain duties?" Renji asked.

"It's…complicated," Momo said, "I want to get stronger and be acknowledge and recognized for it. During the war, I felt like I was never any use. Even when I did things right, the Captains far outshined me! I mean look what To…Captain Hitsugaya accomplished compared to me."

"You're jealous of him, aren't you?" Renji asked. This question inexplicably caused Momo to begin crying. "Hey, hey! Don't cry, it was just a question! I'm not trying to accuse you, I just…pointing out what I thought I saw!"

"No, you're right," Momo said, "I am jealous, and I feel horrible for it. I should be happy for him, but instead I feel jealousy. It's like…I'm sad that he's so strong. Not just stronger than me, I could deal with that, but the fact that he's _so much_ stronger than me. We grew up together, as close as can be, yet he went so far beyond me so quickly. If he were _just_ a genius or _just_ powerful or _just_ extremely skilled in combat, I probably could handle it, but when he's so much better at just about everything, I…I just don't know! It's horrible that I feel that way, I'm well aware of that, but I just can't feel differently! I know I'll never be on the same level as him at anything, and that really hurts. You probably think that I'm disgusting for feeling that way about someone who's supposed to be my friend, don't you?"

"No, it's a natural emotion," Renji said, "You shouldn't let that come between you two though. Weren't you two best friends? Should a little bit of jealousy be enough to mess that up?"

"Well, it's not just the jealousy…" Momo said, "Let's just say…neither of us was able to properly acknowledge the other. I really don't want to talk about how it happened, it's not a pleasant memory."

"Fine, if that's really how you feel, so be it," Renji said, "Just know that if you do want to talk about it, I'm always here." Momo smiled.

"Thanks Renji, you're a real friend."

---

Karin watched as her body was wheeled into the room, covered with a sheet. Isshin and Yuzu were already there, both pale with shock, tears in their eyes. A worker came up to Isshin.

"I know this is difficult, but we need you to confirm her identity," he said quietly. Isshin nodded and went over to the body. The worker lifted up the sheet a little. Isshin lowered his head.

"It's her."

Yuzu wailed in grief. Isshin went over to her and embraced her, letting her sob into his shoulder. Karin began to walk over, only for Toushiro to hold her back.

"They can't see us," he said quietly.

Yuzu cried as she hugged her father. Tears were coming from Isshin's eyes as well. Karin watched as they cried, beginning to cry herself. She had only cried a few times in her life, but she couldn't help it this time as she watched her father and sister crying over her death. For a moment she thought she saw Isshin's gaze settle upon her, but knew it was impossible, and surely enough he was staring off into space the next moment. Yuzu's cries filled Karin with the most horrible sadness imaginable.

"Karin! It's not fair! Karin…no…" she sobbed. Karin couldn't take it anymore, running up to Yuzu.

"Yuzu, it's me! Karin! I'm here! I'm here Yuzu!" she said, crying herself. Yuzu didn't notice her, and kept crying. Toushiro walked over and pulled Karin away as she continued to cry.

"We have to go now," he said.

"No, I want to…I want to see them some more!" Karin said, trying to get away but too exhausted to be able to.

Toushiro took Karin outside the hospital and began leading her back to where they would be meeting with Ichigo.

"Ichigo will be here soon," he said, "You'll be able to talk with him before moving on to Soul Society."

They walked quietly for several minutes, neither speaking a word. Suddenly there was a loud crash. They turned around to see a hollow walking out from behind a collapsed building. It was thin and had long, ape-like limbs. There was a shriek above, and a hollow with a body like a giant moth appeared in the sky. They heard a thud and saw that coming from the other end of the street was a thick, heavy hollow on four legs.

"No way…" Karin said in shock.

"Don't worry, these are small fry," Toushiro said, drawing Hyourinmaru, "Just stay behind me and you'll be fine."

The long armed hollow was the first to charge. Toushiro leapt into the air, cutting it in half before it could even reach them. The two halves fell to the ground with a crash. The heavy hollow on the ground charged them, its massive limbs propelling it much more quickly than one would expect it to move. Toushiro ran forward and brought his zanpakuto down on its mask, cracking it and causing the hollow to dissolve into dust. Now all that was left was the flying moth hollow above them. Toushiro got a running head-start and leapt up into the air. He aimed a slash at it, but it was too shallow and only severed a few of its legs. Collecting reiatsu under his feet so that he stood in mid-air, he faced off against the hollow.

Before he could fight however, he heard a scream from below. Looking down, he saw that the disembodied top half of the long armed hollow was still alive, and that it had grabbed hold of Karin's chain of fate, lifting her up by it. He turned to go free her, but the moth hollow took the opportunity to attack, and flew down after him. Growling, he whipped around and slashed the hollow diagonally in half. The hollow dissolved to dust, and Toushiro proceeded to hurry to Karin.

Karin screamed again as the monstrous hollow held her by the chain coming from her chest. It hurt horribly. It was beyond physical pain, it felt as if her very soul were being damaged. The hollow lifted her up above its mask, opening its mouth. Despite being cut in half, it was clearly quite intent on consuming her soul. Just as it began to lower her into its mouth, Toushiro appeared from above, slashing it right across the mask, destroying the hollow.

Sheathing his sword, he rushed to Karin's side. She was lying on the ground groaning in pain, clutching the place where the chain of fate connected to her chest. A bright light was coming out from the edges. Upon examining it, Toushiro growled.

"It's no good. I'm sorry, but we can't wait for Ichigo any longer. I'm going to perform Konso on you right now," he said, drawing his sword. Karin hurriedly sat up, wincing in pain.

"N-no! I want Ichi-nii to do it! I want to talk to him before I have to go!" she pleaded.

"I'm sorry, but we have no choice now," Toushiro explained, "Your chain of fate has been damaged. If I don't perform Konso right away, you run the risk of turning into a hollow."

"I…but I wanted to see Ichi-nii…I…please, not yet!" Karin begged.

"I'm really sorry Karin, this is the only way," Toushiro said. Suddenly a crack formed at the base of Karin's chain of fate. "We have to hurry," Toushiro said. He brought the hilt of his sword up above her forehead. "Are you ready?" Karin gulped but slowly nodded her head, closing her eyes tightly.

Toushiro gently pressed the hilt of his zanpakuto against her forehead. Karin's body glowed for a moment before disappearing, sent to Soul Society.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to Photophobic, Aly Dee, lamekirby, DW64, and Thunder Claw03 for reviewing! It was nice to see that several people who haven't reviewed my stories before reviewed this one! I updated a little earlier than I normally would as thanks! Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter Three_

"What? Why the hell did you do that?" Ichigo said angrily.

"I had no choice," Toushiro said, "Her chain of fate was damaged, there was a chance of her becoming a hollow if she stayed here!"

"Exactly how much of a risk?" Ichigo asked.

"About 20-30%," Toushiro said.

"But…but the odds were still that she wouldn't turn into a hollow! Why did you have to send her off early with such low odds?" Ichigo growled.

"Think clearly Kurosaki," Toushiro said, "I know you're in a lot of emotional pain right now, but try to think logically. If there was any chance of her turning into a hollow before you could arrive, it would be good reason to perform Konso early. You're upset right now, so you're not thinking clearly."

"Upset? You think 'upset' is the proper word for this? My little sister was killed!" Ichigo yelled, "She…she's dead. I didn't even have the chance to say goodbye to her before passing on!"

"Kurosaki, I understand your anger, but once you calm down I'm sure you'll understand that I made the only reasonable choice," Toushiro said.

"Understand? You think you could possibly understand what it's like to lose someone precious to you, not even knowing if you'll ever see them again?" Ichigo said.

"Yes," Toushiro said, "In fact I do know what it feels like. Maybe not what it feels like to have a family member killed, but I know what it's like for someone you love dearly to be on the verge of death. Do not make the mistake of assuming that I don't understand the pain you feel."

"I…I don't know what to say about that, but the fact still remains that I'll probably never see Karin again thanks to you! If you had only waited a little bit longer, I would have been here in time! With such a small chance, was it really worth sending her off without saying goodbye, with the knowledge that I'll probably never find her again once she's in Soul Society?"

"I already told you, yes it was worth it," Toushiro said, "Perhaps you're familiar with 'Russian Roulette'? Put one live bullet and five blanks in a revolver, spin the cylinder, point at your head and pull the trigger. The odds are one in six. The odds of surviving that are better than the odds of your sister not becoming a hollow just now. Would you have ever let your sister do something like that? It would be safer than keeping her around with the possibility of her turning into a hollow."

"But…these are extenuating circumstances, I-"

"Ichigo!" Rukia said from behind him, "Captain Hitsugaya made the best choice he could at the time. He is not to blame for anything. He merely performed his duties as a Shinigami." Ichigo sighed.

"I know, it's just…Karin…" Ichigo couldn't finish the sentence, he was so overwhelmed with grief.

"I'm sorry," Toushiro suddenly said.

"What?" both Ichigo and Rukia said in surprise at the icy captain's sudden apology.

"This was my fault. If I had been just a few seconds faster in getting to the hollow, your sister would still be alive," he said wearily, "I was simply too slow to save her."

"No," Ichigo said, "It's not your responsibility to protect her, it was mine. Because I've been in Soul Society this whole time, training for that stupid Captain position, I wasn't here to protect her."

"No, it's the fault of neither of you," Rukia said, "Now come on Ichigo, we have to go back to Soul Society. We were only authorized for a short stay to perform Konso. Now that we know it's already been done, we have no purpose here."

"You go without me," Ichigo abruptly said.

"What are you talking about? You have to come too!" Rukia said.

"Well I'm not!" Ichigo growled, "I'm not going back to that stupid place for a while. Right now my family needs me, and that takes priority over whatever stupid training they want to put me through there!"

"Don't be foolish, you'll be disqualified from your candidacy for Captain if you directly violate an order like this! Besides, there's a chance that Karin's soul will be found when it goes to Soul Society, and you might be able to see her!" Rukia said.

"You and I both know that we could search our entire lives for her and still probably wouldn't find her! The odds are impossibly against us. As for the Captainship, I don't care! If they want to give it to someone else, let them! Right now my family needs me, and nothing is going to stop me from being there!" Ichigo shunpoed off into the night.

"Ichigo!" Rukia yelled, preparing to chase after him. Before she could however, Toushiro grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"Don't bother," he said, "Go back to Soul Society and inform your Captain what has happened here.

"Do you think Ichigo really will get disqualified from being a Captain?" she asked.

"I don't know. It's possible," Toushiro said, "Either way, no good will come from talking abou it now. Just get going."

"Yes sir," Rukia said quietly.

---

Ichigo silently leapt into his room through the window. Kon, in Ichigo's body, was lying on the bed. When Kon spotted Ichigo, he immediately sat upright.

"Ichigo, your sister, she-"

"I know," Ichigo said shortly. He re-entered his body, the pill that contained Kon popping out of his mouth. He placed Kon in the stuffed lion. Kon looked up at Ichigo.

"Ichigo, are you okay?" he said timidly. As tactless as he usually was, he knew this was not the time to make his usual jokes.

"Just be quiet for now," Ichigo said, lying down on his bed in exhaustion.

He stared blankly at the ceiling, his mind unable to wrap itself around the truth. Karin was gone. His little sister was dead. He'd never see her in this world again, and probably not in Soul Society either. She had been killed, her life cut short. There was so much life had in store for her, and now she would never experience it.

It was his fault. Had he been in Karakura Town at the time, Karin would still be alive. But he wasn't in Karakura. He had been in Soul Society, preparing for a Captain position that he was no good at anyways. If he had stayed, he could have protected Karin from the hollow that killed her. He felt extremely guilty. It was not just Karin, he had left everyone in danger when he left. Part of the reason he stayed as a Shinigami Representative in the first place was for the purpose of protecting his friends, family, and the town as a whole. Yet despite that, he had been lured away by the prospect of a captain position and abandoned them. He should never have even considered becoming a captain in the past. He thought of what Momo Hinamori had once told him.

_A Captain cannot have divided loyalties. You must be completely loyal to Soul Society and the Gotei 13. If you are to be an effective Captain, you must abandon your ties to the World of the Living to focus on this higher level of existence._

He sighed. The girl who would have been his Vice-Captain had been a bit rough with him, but he knew that the things she told him were true. She had also warned him of not letting his personal feelings get in the way of the line of duty (saying that she knew firsthand how disastrously that could end), which he had done just now. He was no Captain. He belonged here in Karakura. He belonged with his friends, not the Shinigami. Sure there were Renji and Rukia and a few others, but he felt that he truly belonged here on Earth. There were his father, Yuzu, Sado, Orihime, Tatsuki, Mizuiro, Keigo, Uryu, and so many others that bound him to this world.

Ichigo belonged in this world, that much was clear to him. He still had a life here that was not connected to the one he had as a Shinigami. He couldn't just abandon it. He began to wonder why he had ever tried to become a Captain in the Gotei 13 in the first place. He still had to finish high school, go to college, get a job, and maybe even get married some day. He had so much to look forward to in this world, and he couldn't just choose to abandon it.

His stomach lurched as he thought of that. Those were the things that Karin would be missing too, and she hadn't had a choice in the matter. He sighed heavily. It wasn't fair. Karin had been snatched away before she even had the chance to truly experience life. She would be forced to survive in Rukongai on her own now. If lucky, she would get into one of the better districts, but she could also end up in one of the more violent and lawless districts, a thought that made him shudder.

What would he do next? He was still a Shinigami Representative, but knew now that he would never choose Soul Society over Karakura again. This brought up the problem of what the other Shinigami would do with him. They had high expectations for him, but he would never become a Captain now. They may end up trying to force him to accept a Captain position, or even taking away his Shinigami powers, but he didn't care. Nothing they did could cause him to give up Karakura, not after losing Karin.

---

Yuzu cried into her blanket. She slept in Karin's empty bed, sobbing quietlly. Whenever she was sad, Karin would always let her sleep in bed with her. Karin was always so strong, and Yuzu always such a crybaby. She wished she had karin's strength right now, she really needed it.

The shock of losing her sister was horrible, beyond any pain she could possibly have imagined. The fact that they were twins made it even worse, as they held a special connection to eachother that ordinary siblings didn't have, despite the differences in their personalities. She didn't know how she could go on. Karin was such an important part of her life, and yet she had been simply plucked away.

Yuzu thought of Ichigo, of how he had been acting differently lately. She felt as though she were losing everyone. She was afraid. What if she lost Ichigo and their father too? She knew that was highly unlikely, but the thought still terrified her. She had lost her mother and twin sister, what else would she lose in this life? She was so scared by this thought that she hugged tightly onto her pillow as she cried. She didn't know what to do, she was so confused by everything. Nothing made sense to her anymore, it was all just a big mess in her mind. All she knew was that Karin was gone and wasn't coming back.

----

Karin walked slowly around the strange place she found herself in. It looked like a feudal version of Japan. All the people payed no attention to the fact that she was a young girl walking around alone, seemingly dismissing it. Was this Soul Society? It had to be, she didn't know what else it could be. Yet it seemed wrong somehow. She had always thought of Soul Society as some sort of Heaven, but this did not seem at all like heaven. There were people living in the streets, rather rough looking individuals everywhere, and a general sense of a lack of happiness.

She walked up to a man at a nearby stall selling fruits.

"Excuse me sir, where exactly is this?" she asked.

"Huh? You new here or something?" he grunted, "This is District 36 of Rukongai. I take it you just arrived here?" Karin nodded her head.

"So, you want something or are you just going to stand there?" the man said.

"Oh, right…" Karin said. She reached into her pocket for money, and found that she still had five hundred Yen from when she had died. She took out some of it and put it on the counter.

"What will this get me?" she asked.

"It will get you nothing, that money's no good here!" the man said.

"What?"

"Nope, we don't use that sort of money around here," he said.

"Oh come on!" Karin said in exasperation.

"Well…I suppose I could melt them down for a bit of money. Tell you what, you give them to me as scrap metal, I'll give you some fruit, and we'll say we bartered for it, okay?"

"Okay fine," Karin said irritably. The man took the money and handed her a fruit that looked like a small, deformed kiwi. Karin stared at it in disgust, and was about to protest when she decided that it really wasn't worth the trouble. Growling, she walked off, peeling the fruit and finding it to be unpleasantly sour.

Throwing the remains of the fruit away, she continued walking through the dusty streets. The entire place looked completely downtrodden, as if nobody really cared what the place looked like. She kicked a rock along the ground as if it were a soccer ball. If this was where she would be spending her afterlife, she had a lot of adjusting to do.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to Aly Dee, lamekirby, AnimelovinKiDD, Photophopic, DW64, and Psyco101 for reviewing! Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter Four_

"Karin Kurosaki was a wonderful child, and she will be sorely missed by her family and friends. Born to Isshin and Masaki Kurosaki on May Sixth with her twin sister Yuzu, the first several years of her life were spent like those of a normal child alongside her siblings. Then, at the tender age of four her childhood would be changed by the untimely death of her mother. Despite the traumatic loss, Karin bravely kept on going, refusing to cry over her own sorrows. When she was six, she…"

Ichigo stared into his lap as he listened to the eulogy. Yuzu sat next to him, crying into their father's shoulder. Ichigo didn't like this place at all. It felt just like when their mother died. Once again, he was at a funeral for a dear family member that his actions indirectly killed. He refused to look up, as that would mean looking at the open casket that held Karin's body. He had only taken one glance at it near the beginning of the funeral before looking away. They had prepared the body so that she looked peaceful with a small rose clasped in her dead hands, but this wasn't the Karin that Ichigo knew. The Karin he knew was far more lively and full of energy. That was something impossible to give to a corpse. He didn't want to look at her like this. He preferred to keep his own memories of her separate from this.

The eulogy dragged on, detailing Karin's short life. Her love of soccer was mentioned, as were other facts about her life. Ichigo didn't like this at all. He hated being told about his sister by someone he didn't even know. It was the man's job, and it was necessary for others attending, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

Ichigo was in such shock that he was barely able to think clearly. Karin was dead…the very idea seemed nearly impossible. He was overwhelmed with guilt. Had he been in Karakura instead of working to become a Captain, he would have been there and might have been able to protect her. But he wasn't. He was too busy pursuing captainship to protect his own sister. He felt disgusted with himself. He already knew that he wouldn't go any further with his Captain training. He wasn't going to be a Captain, he was staying in Karakura. This was where he belonged, not in Soul Society.

The funeral continued, with Yuzu continuing to cry next to him and the man at the front continuing to deliver the eulogy. When it was over, the casket was closed, and was removed from the room for burial. Most of the others present stood, but Ichigo remained seated. He didn't feel like he could stand up right now. He felt like there was a huge weight on his shoulder. He could only watch dully at everything around him, his mind barely paying attention to what was going on.

---

"This meeting to discuss the situation regarding Captainship of the Fifth Division has come to order," Yamamoto said in his booming voice, "Captain Ukitake, your official report please."

Ukitake stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, preferred candidate for the position of Fifth Division Captain, has withdrawn his bid for the position following the death of his sister in the world of the living. There have been no further reports from Kurosaki, and details of his intentions are scant. However, it is clear that he should no longer be considered a likely candidate for Captain."

"Indeed, Ichigo Kurosaki has abandoned his previous bid to fill one of the missing Captain's positions," Yamamoto said, "This leaves the question of what is to be done in regards to the position, which as you all know has been empty for some time and which needs to be filled as soon as possible."

"Isn't the answer obvious?" Soi Fon said, "We must pressure Kurosaki to change his stance, and make him accept the position. We need a Captain for that division, and his personal issues do not compare with that need. It is foolish to simply allow him to walk away when so much effort has gone into readying him for the task."

"But do you really want someone like that for Captain in the first place?" Byakuya Kuchiki said, "Kurosaki is a powerful Shinigami, but he is divided in loyalty between Soul Society and the World of the Living. It is my opinion that he should not have been considered a candidate in the first place. Besides, he does not possess the proper attitude of a Captain. He is too brash and hot headed."

"He is young, but I believe he would make an excellent Captain," Ukitake said, "There may not be much we can do about his current situation, but we should at least acknowledge his potential. I say that we leave the position open, and give him the option to assume it as soon as he feels ready. I suspect that he may indeed one day decide to become Captain, and we should be ready for that."

"But we don't know when that will be," Komamura said, "He may never voluntarily assume a Captain Position, in which case we must either force him to accept it or find another candidate. I find the idea of forcing it on him to be distasteful, and thus recommend that we look elsewhere for Captain candidates."

"But where? Who else would make a suitable Captain?" Soi Fon said, "As much as I disapprove of some of his traits, he is the only one I can think of who would be appropriate for the position.

"What about Vice-captain Abarai?" Kyouraku asked, "He has Bankai, does he not?"

"That's right, and he's shown himself to be a fierce warrior," Kenpachi noted.

"He used to be in the Fifth Division, which also works in his favor," Unohana said.

"Captain Hitsugaya, what is your opinion, having witnessed Abarai using his Bankai in the field? Do you believe he has the skills necessary for a Captain?" Yamamoto asked.

"He has shown himself to be strong. I don't know that he's as strong as any of the Captains standing here today, but he has proven himself in combat nevertheless. He may very well be at the level of a lower-tier Captain," Toushiro Hitsugaya replied, recalling what he had seen of Renji's Bankai in past missions.

"What about you Captain Hisagi? How do you think Abarai compares to yourself prior to your recent promotion?" Yamamoto asked the recently appointed Captain of the Ninth Division, Shuuhei Hisagi.

"From my observations, Renji Abarai is at least as powerful as I am," Hisagi said calmly.

"However there is one key difference between you two," Byakuya Kuchiki said, "You are a capable leader and a diligent worker. As Renji's Captain, I can attest to the fact that he does not have the necessary skills to lead a Division. He is indeed powerful, but not to the point of being able to properly run and manage a division. I'm afraid I could not support any bid for him to become Captain."

"Bah, what do those things have to do with anything?" Kenpachi growled, "I would have preferred Ichigo, but Renji Abarai is powerful, and I'd pick him as Captain if I were in charge right now. Skills and leadership as you define them don't matter. He's good enough to be Captain I say."

"For you obviously," Mayuri Kurotsuchi muttered.

"But who else is there?" Komamura said, "Given the current lack of suitable Candidates, without Kurosaki, Renji Abarai is the only real candidate for the position."

"I think you're all forgetting someone," Shunsui Kyouraku said lazily, "Vice-captain Hinamori."

The room erupted into whispers. Everyone seemed stunned by the suggestion. Several of the captains muttered things such as 'ludicrous' and 'absurd' before Yamamoto shut them up with the tap of his cane on the floor.

"That is enough, we will be professional during this meeting," he said sternly to the Captains. He turned to Kyouraku. "What is your reasoning for suggesting Momo Hinamori?"

"Well, for starters she's already Captain in all but title," Kyouraku said, "She performs all the regular duties of a Captain and has proven herself quite capable of managing her division."

"But being a Captain is more than just performing the job," Soi Fon said, "A Captain must be absolutely dedicated to their position and understand the importance of it, and has to be of the greatest degree of strength. She has a history of letting her feelings get in the way of her duties, and has not even obtained Bankai. She is not suitable to become a Captain."

"She is highly gifted," Kyouraku said, "I've been watching her recently. She's been training a lot with her zanpakuto. She may not be as powerful as most Captains, but the degree of control she has over her power compensates for that. I'd estimate that she could obtain Bankai within five years."

"We can't just appoint her Captain just hoping she'll have Bankai someday, she needs to have it now if she wants to be Captain," Byakuya said.

"I must confess, I am concerned at her current power level. I have no doubts about her capabilities as a leader of her division, but I am not sure she is powerful enough to be a Captain," Ukitake said, "She's proven herself to be gifted, but to the extent of being ready to be Captain? In many years perhaps, but not in the near future."

"Still, we must consider the reality," Komamura said, "We need a Captain for Fifth Division. To not do so will cause long term damage to the strength and mobility of the Gotei 13 as a whole. I think that given these exceptional circumstances, she need not have Bankai to become Captain."

"But she is nowhere near the level of the rest of us," Byakuya said, "If she were just a bit weaker than us, it would be one thing, but a Captain and a Vice-captain are on entirely different levels, just as a Vice-captain and an ordinary Shinigami could not possibly be compared. The reason that Bankai is a prerequisite for Captains is that it exponentially increases a Shinigami's power. Without Bankai, there is no way a Shinigami could hope to compete with a Captain."

"Captain Hitsugaya, Captain Hisagi, you are both close to Vice-captain Hinamori. What are your feelings on this?" Yamamoto said. Toushiro took a deep breath.

"She is a master at Kido and controlling reiatsu, but from my observations she is not at the level of a Captain. I'm afraid I cannot support any attempts to make her a Captain," he said, his voice wavering slightly.

"I disagree," Hisagi said, "Hinamori is powerful enough to be a Captain. With all respect to Captain Hitsugaya, I must say that you underestimate your old friend, possibly due to your own speedy growth. Was it not her reiatsu that awoke your own latent powers?"

"Yes, but I hardly see that as relevant," Toushiro said.

"I think it is," Hisagi said, "Hinamori may not be on your level of power, and thus did not advance as quickly, but the degree of control she has over it more than compensates. Sheer reiatsu isn't enough to be Captain, it must be controlled, and from my observations she has learned to control her power much better than you have."

"She has less of it, therefore it's easier for her to control," Toushiro said.

"I was her Senpai; I was able to see her growth in power much more closely than you," Hisagi said, "You've already nearly reached the pinnacle of your power, just not the degree of control over it. Hinamori on the other hand has achieved a great degree of control over it, but has not yet developed her power to the same degree."

"What are you saying?" Toushiro asked.

"I'm saying that if you were suitable to become Captain despite being young, inexperienced, and lacking total control over your powers- and don't kid yourself, you know it's true," Hisagi added upon receiving a glare from Toushiro, "If, despite all that, you were named a Captain, I think it is reasonable to say that Hinamori could potentially be a Captain. I myself have only recently achieved Bankai, yet here I am, Captain of the Ninth Division. You are underestimating her, Captain Hitsugaya."

"I believe that is enough discussion," Yamamoto said, interrupting their argument, "This is indeed highly unorthodox. Normally when a Shinigami without Bankai attempts to become Captain, they must either obtain recommendations from a majority of Captains and approval from the others or must kill the previous Captain. Vice-captain Hinamori has done neither. However, given how great our need is for a new Captain of Fifth Division, we will be holding a special vote tomorrow. Vice-captain Hinamori and Vice-captain Abarai are to both be informed that they are under consideration for filling the Captain position. We will vote tomorrow, and if either of them obtains at least seven votes out of the eleven Captains here, we will take further steps to decide if they are suited for the position. I urge you all to think carefully on this issue. Dismissed.

----

Momo Hinamori stared at the messenger in shock. She couldn't believe what she had just been told. Her? A Captain candidate? She could hardly believe it! She had thought many times of the prospect of being a Captain, but it had always seemed like a far-off dream, not an achievable goal. Yet here she was, being considered for the position of Captain.

"Thank you," she said to the messenger, "You may go now." The messenger bowed and shunpoed off. She took a deep breath to try to stem her excitement.

It would be a long shot, she knew that. She had to get the approval of at least seven Captains, and on top of that, she would be competing against Renji, who already had Bankai. She wished she were able to reach Bankai. She had meditated and trained with her zanpakuto heavily, and while she had made progress, she didn't feel any closer to Bankai. She wondered if she would ever be capable of it. It was said that Bankai could only be achieved by the strongest of Shinigami after at least 100 years of experience and training with a zanpakuto, and required several more years to actually gain control over it to the extent it could reliably be used for combat. Momo had only been a Shinigami for just under fifty years. Logically, nobody should have been able to achieve Bankai in that amount of time.

But Renji had. Toushiro had even earlier. Momo felt rather inadequate when compared to them. She knew she wasn't that powerful, but she wanted to believe that she was at least strong enough to compete with her friends. She lowered her head slightly. Such thoughts made her think of Toushiro. It had been eight months since she and Toushiro had stopped seeing eachother regularly. It wasn't that they didn't want to be friends, it was just…circumstances that forced them apart. She supposed it all started back when Toushiro had entered the Shinigami Academy.

She was already in her final year when Toushiro began attending. She was very excited; after all, she had been telling him to enroll for a long time. She knew he had spiritual power, she was able to sense it in him shortly after she developed her own powers, and she had been hoping for a long time that he'd eventually join. When he did enroll in the Academy, Momo was at first very happy, but soon that feeling of happiness had begun to lessen when she realized just how powerful Toushiro really was.

She had always known that Toushiro had a large amount of reiatsu, but she never realized just how much of it she had, nor did she realize he would be a prodigy in seemingly everything he did. He had rapidly advanced to the level of the sixth year students soon after arriving. He was amazing at everything he did. He quickly surpassed Momo in swordsmanship, as well as hand-to-hand combat and stepping techniques. The only thing she was able to do better at was Kido, and even with that he approached her level. It made her feel bad about herself. To see the funny little boy she had grown up with rapidly surpassing her in the skills it had taken her six years to learn was disheartening. She was proud of him, and did everything she could to encourage him, but deep down, she felt a little sad. It made her feel guilty, but she could not deny that she was jealous of her friend. She still cared deeply for him, but things just weren't the same with the knowledge that he had not only surpassed her, but had done so in a single year.

Momo had hoped that perhaps after they had become Shinigami, things would be better, but that was not the case. Aside from their duties keeping them apart for long periods of time, Toushiro continued to get more powerful. Momo meanwhile continued to steadily improve herself, getting stronger but not nearly at the level of Toushiro. It reached its peak when Toushiro obtained Bankai, and later became the youngest Captain in Gotei 13 history. She was proud of him, and still cared for him dearly, but that was really a turning point in their relationship. At that point, there was no hope of her being able to keep up with him. When they were younger, they had promised to protect eachother, but after he became a Captain it felt like it was only Toushiro who protected her. When she had lost herself to her emotions due to Aizen's treachery, it was Toushiro who saved her. She ought to feel grateful to him, but she couldn't manage to feel anything but jealousy. She didn't care that much about power, but when she saw a close friend going so far beyond her, it was just too much. To make matters worse, Toushiro now acted differently. He was still cold, grumpy, and stubborn like he used to be, but he just wasn't the same as when they lived in Rukongai. He acted more like an adult than a child. Momo knew it was silly to be bothered by something like that, but she couldn't help it. Their friendship was falling apart, and by the time they noticed, it was too late.

Momo remembered the day they had ceased to be friends. It was a rather routine mission to the world of the living, with her and Matsumoto accompanying Toushiro as backup. There was a hollow attack, and while it was not particularly powerful, due to a series of circumstances that Momo couldn't even remember, she had wound up in a situation in which she was trapped by the hollow, unable to escape and facing its attack. Toushiro had saved her, scolding her for being careless.

She should have been grateful, but instead she got angry. She told him that she was able to handle herself, and that she didn't need him to constantly protect her. He pointed out the numerous times he had saved her, and that evidently she did need his protection. At this point Momo snapped, yelling at him for not taking her seriously and looking down at her, not giving her the credit she had earned. She was a Vice-captain after all, and wasn't completely weak. Toushiro had responded by saying that she didn't give him the respect he had earned either, saying she should have been proud of him for ascending to a Captain position. He correctly accused her of jealousy, and said that she did not give him credit for all the hard work he'd done to protect her. They argued for some time after that, though Momo forgot the details of the fight. By the end of the fight, they were no longer friends.

There was no anger lingering between them, and they didn't hate eachother, they were simply no longer friends. Momo even began to understand Toushiro's personality change, she herself becoming a bit more 'professional' now that she had the responsibility of managing her division alone thrust upon her. When they encountered eachother, they would address eachother curtly by their respective titles before walking off. Their friendship simply could not last. Both of them were at fault for undervaluing the other. It made Momo very sad, but there was nothing she felt like she could to about it. Everything was so messed up between them, she didn't know if they'd ever be friends again.

This was part of the reason that Momo wanted to become Captain. She desired to prove herself worthy to Toushiro. Their biggest problem was that they had trouble respecting and acknowledging eachother. Sure they knew how powerful eachother was and how hard they worked, but Momo always felt like Toushiro was powerful but didn't work as hard and Toushiro felt that Momo worked hard but wasn't very powerful. That was the sort of thing that tore them apart. Momo hoped that by becoming a Captain, they might be able to reach a better understanding with eachother and become friends again. She wasn't sure exactly how, but she couldn't think of any other way.

"Hey Momo, what're you thinking?"

Momo turned to see Renji behind her. She put on a fake smile.

"Oh, hi Renji, how are you?" she said cheerily, hiding the gloom she felt.

"Okay I suppose. I heard you also got selected as a potential Captain," he said.

"Yeah, but I doubt I'll get the position. I don't even have Bankai," Momo said, "You're much more likely than me to get the position."

"I wouldn't say that. You're still a much better leader than me. I may have Bankai, but you're actually capable of running and managing a Division," Renji said.

"Thanks. By the way, do you know anything about how Kurosaki is doing?" Momo asked.

"Why, are you concerned for him?" Renji asked.

"No! I mean, he was going to be my Captain so I guess maybe a bit concerned, but I ask mainly out of curiosity," Momo said.

"Well…he's not doing so good. From what I hear, he's gotten pretty depressed and isn't very active right now. He's probably not going to be quite himself for a while…"

Momo stared at her feet. Despite all of his flaws, she could not help but feel sorry for Ichigo. He had lost his little sister; that had to be really painful for him. On top of that, he had the guilt of not being their when she was killed. It must have weighed heavily on him. The death of a loved one was never easy, and given Ichigo's…complex circumstances, it was probably even worse. She knew by her own words that a Shinigami shouldn't be distracted from their duties by emotional attachments, but she still completely understood how much pain Ichigo must be going through. It was impossible for her to feel bitter towards him with that sort of knowledge.

"Do you think he'll get better soon?" Momo asked.

"Only time will tell," Renji said simply, "Come on, let's go over to Matsumoto's place, she's throwing a party to celebrate our nominations."

"Really? That's nice I suppose," Momo said apprehensively, knowing what Matsumoto's parties tended to involve copious amounts of alcohol.

Her suspicions were soon proven correct when Renji led her to a nearby bar where Matsumoto was already waiting eagerly outside with Izuru, Isane, and Kiyone standing beside her.

"Momo!" Matsumoto said cheerfully, running up and embracing Momo, her breasts smothering her. Momo managed to squirm her way out of Matsumoto's hug, blushing a little bit.

"Hi Rangiku. I take it you already started?" Momo said.

"No, I wouldn't start drinking without you! Though I did have several brandy-filled chocolates!" she said brightly.

"I see…well, shall we go in?" Momo said.

"Yeah, let's start! Rangiku said we couldn't go in until you're here!" Kiyone complained.

"Well it is a party for her and Renji, it wouldn't make sense for them not to be here," Isane said reasonably.

"Come on, let's go! To the booze!" Matsumoto shouted, prancing into the bar with everyone else following after her.

The bar was dark, but fairly comfortable. They all took seats on the bar stools at the front of the bar. Momo sat between Matsumoto and Izuru. There was nobody else at the bar, and the bartender promptly came up to take their orders.

"I'll have a pure malt scotch," Izuru said. As the bartender wrote down his order, Matsumoto gave him a tap on the shoulder.

"What, is that all?" she asked.

"Well…yeah," Izuru said.

"Don't be such a wimp! Get at least two drinks!"

"If I want more I'll simply order more after I'm done," Izuru said.

"This is a party! You start out with more than just one drink! That's how I always do it! You hear that everyone?" Matsumoto said looking over everyone present, "You have to get at least two drinks to start out with! If you don't, I won't let you leave until you outdrink me!"

"Fine," Izuru said wearily, "I'll also have a small cup of Seishu Sake."

"I want hard cider and coconut brandy! And put them in tall glasses!" Kiyone said energetically.

"There, you see Izuru? Kiyone knows how to have fun!" Matsumoto said.

"I'll have a pale lager and a glass of vodka," Renji said.

"If you have it, I'll take an elderberry wine," Isane said, "But if you don't have that, I'll take a red wine."

"We don't have either of those," the bartender said.

"Really? In that case I'll take a white wine."

"We don't have any kind of wine," the bartender said.

"No wine?" Isane said in confusion, "Okay, how about Sherry?"

"That's a type of wine, so no."

"Cognac?"

"No."

"Perry?"

"No."

"Peppermint Schnapps?"

"No."

"Palm wine?"

"What did I say about wine?"

"But palm wine isn't even a real wine! Wine is made from fruit like grapes, and palm wine is made from the sap of palm trees! It's not a wine at all!" Isane protested.

"The things you're asking for are too fancy and exotic. Try something simpler," Matsumoto suggested. Isane sighed.

"I guess I'll have…mead then. Okay, mead and a small beer," Isane said, catching a look from Matsumoto. Matsumoto raised her hand to order next.

"I'll have two beers, tequila, and four cups of whatever kind of sake you've got!" Matsumoto said brightly.

"You sure you ordered enough?" Izuru asked dryly.

"Yeah, I think so," Matsumoto said, "Okay Momo, your turn!"

"Actually I don't really drink that much, so I was thinking maybe I'd just watch you guys drink," Momo said.

"No! You have to drink too! You can't enjoy a party without drinking!" Matsumoto said cheerily, already drinking the first of the alcohol she was given.

"Okay…I guess I'll have a peach schnapps," Momo said.

"Momo…" Matsumoto said sternly.

"Oh fine," Momo said wearily, "I'll also have a light rum."

"Rum? Ha! You hear that guys? Momo's a pirate!" Matsumoto shrieked with laughter.

"I only ordered it because you made me. Besides, modern rum is nothing like the stuff made back in pirate days. It's much more cleanly prepared and-"

"Yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirate's life for me!" Matsumoto sung cheerily. Momo sighed, watching as the bartender brought her drink. She took a small sip of it as she watched Matsumoto's antics. The others were likewise enjoying their drinks.

"Woo-hoo! Is this a party or what?" Matsumoto said loudly. She slapped Momo on the back. "I'm glad you came, I was worried that you'd refuse to come like my mean old Captain!"

"You invited Toushiro too?" Momo said in surprise.

"I invite him to these things all the time, but he never comes!" Matsumoto said, "Every time I try to get him to drink he just pushes me away!"

"Well of course he does! You can't give Toushiro alcohol! He's too little for it! Besides, it will upset his tummy!" Momo said.

"Awww, how cute! Momo's worrying about Captain! You're such a little cutie Momo," Matsumoto said drunkenly, patting Momo roughly on the head.

"How can a person get so drunk so fast?" Momo asked.

"Hey, you've been a party animal at times too," Matsumoto said, "Remember that time that I convinced you to drink an entire bottle of sake and convinced you to kiss Nemu?"

"What???!!!! I don't remember doing that!" Momo protested.

"Yeah, you were pretty drunk," Matsumoto giggled, "Or how about that time in the world of the living where you got drunk and ran naked through Tokyo?"

"What?" Momo said in a horrified voice, "I did that?"

"You sure did, you crazy little party animal!" Matsumoto laughed, "And then there was that time I got you drunk and convinced you to get a tattoo!"

"A TATTOO?!?!?!" Momo shrieked, "I never noticed having a tattoo anywhere!"

"That's because it's on your butt!" Matsumoto giggled.

"Rangiku!!!!!" Momo shrieked, "All of you look away!" Momo tried to look around to her back side, lifting up her Shinigami uniform to try to see the tattoo.

"It's no good, I can't see it! I need someone else to take a look at it for me!"

"I'll do it," Renji said.

"Not you!" Momo yelled, her face flushed, "Isane, could you check it out?"

"Um, okay," Isane said. She came over and lifted up the backside of her uniform so that Isane could see what the tattoo was. Isane immediately blushed.

"Oh…" she said, covering her mouth a little, "That's…wow…"

"What? What does it look like?" Momo asked in a panic.

"It…it's just a smiley face," Isane said.

"Well actually it looks like-"

"Izuru! Don't look!" Momo shrieked, hastily putting her uniform back into place, highly embarrassed. After a few moments though she turned to Izuru, "So how bad is it?" she asked reluctantly.

"It say's 'Kido Goddess'," Izuru said.

"Oh, well I guess that's not so-"

"Also it has an image of you in a leather thong with a whip made out of Kido."

"Uhhhh…" Momo dizzily collapsed into her chair, clearly mortified.

"Hey, I thought it was cool!" Matsumoto said.

"You graffitied my rear end Rangiku," Momo said dully, too horrified to speak. Before Matsumoto could respond, the door opened and Shuuhei Hisagi walked in. Momo glanced at him.

"Oh, hello Captain Hisagi," she said, her voice flat and dull.

"What's wrong with her?" Hisagi asked.

"She found out about the tattoo," Matsumoto said.

"Oh, yeah I was wondering when that would happen," Hisagi said.

"What? You mean you were in on it too?" Momo said, suddenly alert again, "Why didn't you stop her from defacing my perfect butt? What man would want it now?"

"Probably guys into bondage," Renji snickered, earning him a smack from Momo.

"Hey, be glad it was me," Matsumoto said, "Shuuhei wanted to put '69 4-EVER' on your forehead."

"Oh my god…" Momo said, gripping her forehead. She looked at the drinks before her and pushed them away, "I'm never drinking again."

"Fine, more for me," Matsumoto said, snatching away her drinks. Hisagi suppressed a chuckle.

"So Momo, are you excited?"

"Yeah, though I'm trying not to get my hopes up," Momo said, "My chances are really low. I don't even have Bankai. Renji is much more likely than me to get the spot."

"Don't count yourself out just yet," Hisagi said, "I'd say you have a decent chance of getting enough votes for further consideration. You're forgetting that I'm a Captain now, and I was present at the meeting."

"You really think I have a chance?" Momo asked, her expression brightening a bit.

"It's an uphill battle for you, but I'd say you have a chance," he said, "Think about it: you already fulfill most of the roles a Captain plays. They know you're capable of that. You may not be at a Captain's power level right now, but I believe you could eventually reach that point, and right now the main concern is filling the seat. Power level is of secondary importance to the necessity of filling the position. They're desperate to wash away all remnants of Aizen's betrayal, and by having someone replace him, they're essentially removing one of the last lingering effects of his betrayal. That's partly why they made me Captain. Even having just achieved Bankai, I wasn't really of the proper level for a Captain, but they desired the spot filled so much that they chose me to be Captain. The same could happen for you. You already have shown yourself capable of most Captain duties, you have a history with the Fifth Division, you're currently the top executive officer of the division, and you have shown your dedication to your duties. If you can convince them that you will indeed become stronger, you have a real chance of getting the votes necessary for further consideration."

"That's great!" Momo said, "What about Renji?"

"He's got Bankai, but some of the other Captains feel he's not really Captain material. Still, they do need a Captain, and may end up being favorable towards him on the same premise that they might be towards you. Renji's strong, and even if they're doubtful of his leadership abilities, that does count for something."

"So how many votes do you think Momo and Renji will get?" Izuru asked. Hisagi glanced at the ceiling, thinking carefully.

"Well, you both have my vote," he said, earning smiles from all present, "Aside from me though, Renji probably will get the votes of Kyouraku, Zaraki, Unohana, and Komamura, though we have no way of knowing for sure until all the voting has taken place. Momo will definitely have Captain Kyouraku's support, he's the one who first nominated her. Komamura seemed likely to support her as well, though I can't be sure. Several others seemed to at least be considering you, which is a good sign."

"Um, do you think that Tou...Captain Hitsugaya will vote for me?"

"I can't be sure, he seemed to be on the fence," Hisagi said, "Don't worry, you'll know by tomorrow."

"Yeah…I guess so."

---

Karin sat on a bench at the side of the road, kicking her feet. It had been about a week since she had arrived in Soul Society, and already she was adapting to it. She had soon learned about the details of Soul Society; about Seireitei, Rukongai, Shinigami, everything. She still felt extremely sad, but soon after arriving she resolved that she would not cry or obsess over it. Nothing she did would change anything now, so there was really no point to it. She had to live with it and make a life for herself here in Rukongai.

She already had joined a 'family' of other souls. One of the first thing she had learned upon entering Rukongai was that it was rare to end up meeting actual family, so it was best to join up with an 'adoptive' family. Her's lived in the house of an old man and included seven other children. It was nice, but it wasn't really the same as her real family.

Karin wondered how they were doing. She knew that they would all be very sad over her death, and could only hope that they would be able to continue with their lives. She was particularly worried about Yuzu. Her twin sister did not have Karin's emotional strength, and Karin wasn't sure how well she would fare. She sighed. She really wanted to be back there; to be in her own bed, to live with her family, and just to be alive again. The pain and sadness was crushing, but Karin did not cry. She had learned soon after her mother's death that crying just made others share the pain she felt. Besides, it wasn't like she was unique. Everyone around her once had friends, family, and a home, only to lose that with their death. Crying would only make herself feel worse, and cause others to think her to be childish. She wouldn't cry, even if she wanted to.

When she had first arrived, she had speculated on the possibility of meeting up with Ichigo. He was involved with the Shinigami after all; she thought that if she could find a Shinigami who would take her to Seireitei, she might eventually be able to meet up with him. The other souls she had met quickly shot this idea down however. They explained that Shinigami rarely came this far out into Rukongai, and that when they did, they looked down upon the souls residing there. Even though the Shinigami were the military of Soul Society, they rarely actually bothered to leave the comforts of Seireitei.

The more she learned, the clearer it was that she would never see her brother or the rest of her family again. If she did end up seeing a Shinigami, they probably would just leave her, thinking she was lying or that it was a trick to get into Seireitei. Slowly, she had become resigned to her fate of living in Seireitei, and was left with little choice but to accept it.

"Hey Karin, Grandpappy wants us home for dinner now."

Karin glanced up to see that her 'sister' Mashi was standing nearby. She had brown hair tied back and was wearing a dull colored Kimono. Karin stood up, nodding to Mashi before walking down the street to their home. When she went inside after Mashi, she saw that plates had already been set up for dinner, and that most of her 'siblings' were already present. Several of the younger ones were running around, chasing eachother. There were seven total, including Mashi. The others were named Dreis, Rina, Wui, Sofi, Rubi, and Asmato.

"Hey guys," Karin said.

"Hi Karin," They said together. Karin could not help but smile. Even if they weren't really her family, she was glad that she had found people like this to live with. They all treated her exactly as if they were her actual family, and had shown great care for her.

"Okay everybody, the foods ready." The old man who cared for them came out of the kitchen, carrying a large pot that he set on the table. He was old and looked frail, but was quite a bit stronger than he looked, able to lift the large pot with ease. He dished out meat and potatoes onto all of their plates.

"Mm, alright! I'm starving!" Karin said, smelling the delicious food.

"In Soul Society, people don't starve," the old man said with a smile.

"Well you know what I mean. I'm really hungry," Karin said with a shrug.

"In Soul Society, we don't get hungry either."

"Whatever, I guess I'm just a freak then," Karin said, rolling her eyes and digging into the food before her. Karin has realized soon after coming to Soul Society that most souls did not get hungry, yet she did. She had no idea why, and only knew that she was the only one eating because out of hunger.

Everyone present was enjoying their food. The old man didn't have a ton of money, but he always made the most wonderful food. Karin quickly finished her plate and was about to help herself to more when she saw that Rubi wasn't eating anything. Rubi was a small girl with short brown hair with a bow in it. She had arrived in Soul Society only a few days after Karin, and had been adopted into the 'family' around the same time.

"Rubi? Are you okay?" she asked. Rubi didn't answer. She pushed away her food and ran out of the room, tears in her eyes. The old man was about to get up but Karin stood first.

"I'll talk to her," she said. She walked out of the room and out to the back of the house, where she saw Rubi crying.

"Rubi? Are you okay?" Karin asked in an unusually gentle tone. Rubi looked up and shook her head, sniffling and wiping her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Karin asked.

"What-what's not wrong?" Rubi sobbed, "I…I'm dead! My family…my mom and dad and little brother…I'll never see them again! All my friends, my house, my school…everything I knew in my life is gone!"

"I know it hurts, but you can't just spend your time crying over it," Karin said, "You have to make the best of it and make a life for yourself here!"

"H-how? I don't know this place! I'm confused and scared and lonely! How can you just be so calm about all of this? Why aren't you at all sad? You died just a few days ago, yet you act like you don't even care? How can you be like that?" Rubi asked.

"Who ever said I didn't feel those things?" Karin said quietly, "I feel the same way you do. I'm sad – beyond sad! My whole life was taken away from me! All the things I've known are gone! I'll never be able to live the life I wanted to now! The sadness and grief is terrible! I'm scared too! I barely know anything about this place, and I don't know what I'm going to do next! I'm confused over what to do and what I'm supposed to do next! I've lost all of my friends and family, so I'm lonely! I feel the exact same things you do!"

"But how can you be so calm about it? How can anyone after all of that?" Rubi asked.

"Because there's nothing I can do about it," Karin said, "Crying won't bring me back to life, nor will it reunite me with my family or help me start a new life here. It will just make me feel worse and burden those around me. That's why I don't cry. I'm still sad, scared, and lonely, but I'm not going to let those things consume me." Rubi sniffled and looked up at Karin.

"Thank you," she said, giving her a hug, "Um, can I ask you something? May I call you…sister?" Karin gave her a pat on the head.

"Of course."

---

"Vice-Captain Hinamori! Vice-Captain Abarai! You are here to hear the results of the vote," Yamamoto said, "If either of you receives at least seven votes, you will be placed under further consideration for appointment to the position of Fifth Division Captain. Is this understood?"

"Yes sir!" both Momo and Renji said. They were tense and nervous, anxious to hear the results. The other Captains were assembled in the First Division meeting hall, waiting to hear the results.

"Renji Abarai!" Yamamoto said, "You have received a total of five votes, two votes short of the minimum necessary for consideration. Therefore, you failed the vote. Momo Hinamori! You have received three votes, four short of what was needed, and thus also failed. As neither of you have received enough votes, I will ask that you excuse yourselves from the rest of this meeting.

Both Momo and Renji bowed and gave the Captain's their thanks before walking out of the meeting room.

"Well, I guess it was too much to hope for," Renji said lazily, "They probably never seriously considered us anyways."

"Y-yeah," Momo said quietly, "Listen Renji, I think I'll take the long way out."

"Oh, okay," Renji said. Momo turned a corner and picked up her pace, hoping Renji didn't notice the expression on her face.

She was foolish to have gotten her hopes up. Her chances were extremely low, yet she had allowed herself to become emotionally invested in the idea of being a Captain. She had tried to prepare herself for the likely rejection, but she wanted to be a Captain so badly that she had ignored common sense. She didn't even have Bankai, yet she allowed herself to think that she had any chance of becoming a Captain. She felt very stupid right now. She had wanted to prove herself so badly. To herself, to the other Shinigami, and…to Toushiro.

She had hoped that becoming a Captain might give her another chance at friendship with her old friend, but it looked like that wasn't going to happen. He probably even voted against her, as Hisagi, Kyouraku, and Komamura were probably the three who did vote for her, meaning that Toushiro voted against her. This thought made her unbearably sad. He of course was completely justified, and he couldn't vote for her just because of their former friendship, but that didn't make it hurt any less. She rubbed at her eye a little bit, wiping away a tear threatening to spill out.

"Are you okay?"

Momo jumped. She turned to see Toushiro standing behind her.

"Cap-Captain Hitsugaya! You scared me!" Momo said, her heart pounding.

"Sorry," he said, "I wanted to check on you. Are you okay?"

"Why-why yes sir! I'm doing great!" Momo said with a fake cheery smile, "Thank you for your concern; I am honored that a Captain thought to ask me such a thing. Now if you'll excuse me, I really must be going."

Momo turned and briskly walked away, hoping that Toushiro did not notice the tears in her eyes.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to war90, DW64, Photophopic, psyco101, Aly Dee, and Yemi Hikari for reviewing! I made an extra large chapter (at 8,300 words it may actually be the longest I've ever written) this week because my family is going on vacation to Toronto on Sunday and I'm not sure if I'll be able to update for the next week. I might be able to squeeze in a chapter before I leave, or if the hotel I stay at has internet and I have time, type up a chapter to post while I'm actually on vacation, but don't get your hopes up over it. Please review! I love hearing from my readers!


	5. Chapter 5

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter Five_

Toushiro watched as Momo walked away. _Captain Hitsugaya. _That's what she had called him. There was a time when he would always complain when she called him by his name and insist that she address him formally, but now he felt himself longing for her to call him by his first name, or even that infuriating nickname, 'Shiro-chan'. The breakdown of their friendship had been a heavy blow to him. Momo had been the only person who treated him normally, as an actual friend. Most people either treated him with excessive respect and formality or completely dismissed him due to his age and height. He had somewhat friendly relationships with some other Shinigami, but it wasn't the same as true friendship. Matsumoto and Ukitake were friendly towards him, but the relationship he had with them was not the same as it was with Momo. If he were not Captain, he would never have even met them, but he would still have been friends with Momo.

The collapse of their friendship was very painful. It was difficult to accept the fact that things had changed. Not just in regards to their relationship, but their very nature as well. Being Shinigami had changed them. They were given new responsibilities. They had to deal with death on a daily basis. Being promoted to senior officers of the Gotei 13 amplified that. Their personalities had been changing ever since they entered the Shinigami Academy. Over time, they had lost their youthful innocence. Toushiro lost his first. The responsibility that came with his great powers, and later his Captain position, forced him to grow up and change his attitude. He had to abandon all of his childish tendencies by pure necessity. For all intents and purposes, he was an adult in a child's body.

Most of the time that was. When he was with Momo, he felt young again. She retained her innocence much longer than him, even while working as Vice-captain of the Fifth Division and performing the duties of a Shinigami. It made Toushiro happy to see her back then (though he'd never admit it). Things were overall quite good back then, though he now saw the beginning of the deterioration of their friendship in that same period of time. Looking back, he realized that even then they were a little jealous of eachother. She was jealous of him for his position and powers, and he was jealous of her for her ability to be truly happy while working as a Shinigami and of the other friends she had made. Neither of them realized this at the time, it was all subconscious, but the jealousy was there. Despite this, they were still very close, and were able to enjoy eachother's friendship.

That all changed with Aizen's treachery however. Aizen's betrayal completely broke Momo. Her innocence and happiness were taken from her. He still shuddered when he thought of when he found her on the floor of the Central 46 chambers, stabbed through the chest and nearly dead. He had failed her. Despite his pledge to protect her, he was unable to keep her safe at the moment she needed his protection the most. Because he wasn't strong enough, Momo had nearly died, and her old self was destroyed forever. When Momo woke up from her coma, she was completely confused about Aizen's betrayal. He was the man she admired most, and whom she had dedicated her life to serving. To have a central pillar of her life taken away was a massive blow to her. Even after overcoming the initial psychological trauma from Aizen's betrayal, she still was badly affected. She was no longer her innocent, happy old self. She had become more cynical, less trusting, and more serious than before. She spent more time on work and training than she had before, and her jealousy of Toushiro was apparently magnified.

It was this that eventually led to the end of their friendship. He hadn't properly acknowledged her progress, and still treated her as something delicate that needed to be protected, and she had not acknowledged everything that he had done to protect her and keep her safe. The rift between them was too much, and their friendship fell apart.

Toushiro sometimes wondered if their friendship would ever go back to the way it had once been. It was unlikely, they not the same people they had once been, but still he held onto hope that their friendship would eventually be revived. There really wasn't much more he could do. They couldn't exactly force themselves to become friends again, and even when they knew the exact problems that they had, neither were able to overcome their jealousy and lack of acknowledgement to patch up their friendship. It was very complicated. To an observer, the solution may have seemed simple, but to them it could not be more complex.

Grumbling, he turned and walked back towards the Captain's meeting. At this point, all that could be done was waiting to see how things would turn out and hope for the best.

---

Ichigo sat by the river, near the place his mother had been killed by Grand Fisher. For years he had visited this spot, overwhelmed by the guilt he felt for failing to protect his mother. When he learned the true nature of her death, the guilt was simultaneously relieved and made worse. Now that Karin was dead too, new guilt was stacked on top of that. When his mother was killed, he had been powerless to do anything. When Karin was killed however, he had the power to save her, but couldn't because he was busy preparing for a stupid Captain Position in Soul Society. Both his mother and his sister were dead, their deaths at least partly his fault. He wasn't sure that the pain and guilt he felt would ever leave him.

He was avoiding home now. It was too much to see Yuzu constantly crying and his dad abandoning his usual goofy attitude. Once again, their family had been struck by tragedy. He thought of poor Yuzu. Karin was her twin sister, the closest person in the world to her. Losing her was undoubtedly horrible for Yuzu. He knew he ought to comfort her, but at the same time tried to avoid her. He didn't want to see her sad, so he stayed away. This of course made him feel more guilty. He felt like a coward for abandoning his father and sister due to his not wanting to see them sad. They needed him, and he just sat on the riverbank moping. Even though he knew perfectly well that he was wrong in doing this, he couldn't help it. The world beyond the place he was sitting seemed not to exist to him right now, and getting up was a near incomprehensible option.

"Ichigo?

Ichigo looked up, and saw that Tatsuki was standing above her, at the edge of the river bank.

"Tatsuki," he said in acknowledgement.

"Are you okay?" Tatsuki asked.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine," Ichigo said, putting on a fake smile.

"There's no need to lie Ichigo, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that you are not fine," Tatsuki said. Ichigo dropped the smile and sighed.

"Yeah, I suppose there's no point in bothering to try to trick you," he said

"Do you want to talk?" Tatsuki asked.

"No, not really," Ichigo replied.

"Well there are a lot of people who want to talk to you. They're worried about you. Orihime, Sado, Keigo, Mizuiro, and the others are all worried about you. Are you sure you don't want to talk to them?"

"I'm sure," Ichigo said curtly, "I'm not interested in talking to anyone."

"If you talk about it you'll feel better."

"I doubt that very much," Ichigo said.

"I understand that you're going through a lot of pain right now but-"

"No, you don't understand," Ichigo said in a dull voice, "Don't bother Tatsuki, you can't possibly understand."

"That's true, but you know I'm right. You're keeping everything hidden away inside, not letting anyone in. You're not just hurting yourself when you do that, you're hurting everyone around you. At the very least talk to your family, they deserve as much. As for myself, I'll be waiting, and when you're ready to talk, just come to me."

Tatsuki turned and walked off. Ichigo lowered his eyes and stared at the river, Tatsuki's words repeating inside of his head. He was beginning to feel like a jerk now, yet still did not get up. It was stupid and selfish of him, but he just couldn't. It felt as if something invisible was holding him to this spot. He felt like he'd be in this spot forever, just brooding over his guilt and sadness.

---

"Darn-stupid-freaking-damn-idiot-waste-of-time-Toushiro-Captain-worthless-crapsack-bloody-damn-" Momo muttered incoherently as she dueled with Izuru. She had Izuru heavily on the defensive, her anger and frustration making her stronger and more aggressive. Izuru seemed like he would much rather be somewhere else at the moment. When Momo was like this it was never a good thing.

"Calm down Momo, you're leaving openings!" Izuru said, taking a swing at an opening in her stance that Momo had ignored in her rage. Momo brought her sword whipping downwards, knocking Izuru's into the ground.

"Well, I guess you were able to block it anyways, but still it's a bad habit to leave- Whoa!" He cut off as Momo slashed towards his face, missing by inches.

"Stupid-slime-sucking-damned-sons of-"

"Okay Momo, you really need to calm down right now!" Izuru said hastily, dodging her increasingly aggressive attacks.

"I'll calm you down!" Momo yelled, taking a swipe at Izuru's feet. He leapt back, set off balance, and had to quickly regain his stance as Momo launched a flurry of attacks. He decided that he'd better put a stop to it soon.

Momo raised her sword over her head for a powerful blow. Izuru took the opportunity and pivoted on his feet just as the blade came down, bringing his own sword behind it. He swiped his blade downwards and to the side, knocking Momo off balance. She tried to strike back but Izuru stabbed at her side, forcing her to parry the blow and preventing her from regaining balance, making her fall flat on her back.

"You see? When you don't keep your emotions in check, you'll lose your focus and leave more openings. It may make your attacks stronger, but overall it harms your performance," Izuru said.

"Yeah, whatever," Momo said glumly. Izuru frowned at her.

"Why are you like this? You never used to get mad about things like this before. You'd always accept these types of things and work harder. You didn't get mad about them. You've been changing lately Momo."

"I know…I'm sorry," Momo said, "To be honest, I doubt I'll ever be the way I was before again. Things are just…different now. I feel like I can't be so naïve and passive, I have to force myself to be stronger and…I don't know, just…I have to prove myself!"

"You don't think you've already proven yourself?" Izuru asked.

"Of course not! The Captains are all way beyond me! The other Vice-captains are better than me too! You and Renji are both much stronger than me, and I try not to get jealous, but it's hard! You don't understand, I have to work harder than others! I have to prove that I'm not just some stupid girl chosen by Aiz…by a traitor for loyalty and naivety rather than power and lost her head when she was betrayed! I have to prove that I'm not someone who will let her emotions control her! I have to prove that I'm actually capable of great things myself instead of just being jealous of friends! I have to prove that I'm worth something!" Momo began crying. Izuru sighed and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You've been through too much. You've gone through horrific pains that you did nothing to deserve. I'm honestly not surprised that you're still having problems with it. You were left in a very sorry state, but look at you now! You've already improved by leaps and bounds!" he said.

"It's not enough," Momo said, "I'm nothing in the grand scheme of things, no matter what I do. Even my own friend thinks I'm too weak! I'm not angry at him for it, but…but he did vote against me, as did most of the others! It's my own fault really; I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. It was futile all along really. I'm just a weak stupid girl who should have died on the floors of Central 46."

"Don't say that!" Izuru said fiercely, "Listen Momo, even if you undervalue yourself, you're still valued by others! You're a Vice-captain of the Gotei 13, a huge accomplishment! You need to treat yourself with more respect. So what if you didn't get chosen for further Captainship considerations? You'll just have to wait for another chance! You could even obtain Bankai and become Captain the old-fashioned way! You're strong enough and motivated enough to do it! I believe in you Momo, and so do many others. So please Momo, go back to being that nice, friendly girl I knew back at the academy."

Momo smiled a little.

"Thanks Izuru. I…I understand what you're saying. I'm…not sure I can go back to the way I used to be. I'm not sure I ever really will completely, but I'll try."

"Just remember that others don't judge you nearly as harshly as you judge yourself. You are a Vice-captain of the Gotei 13. You'd probably rank within the top twenty Shinigami in Seireitei. That is out of thousands of shinigami and billions of souls in Soul Society. You are more powerful than those billions of other souls. You already have plenty to be proud of, just keep a positive spirit!"

"Thank you Izuru, you're a really good friend," Momo said with a smile. They were sitting quietly in thought when a hell butterfly came in and landed on Izuru's finger. It flapped its wings and delivered its message before flying off.

"There's been a hollow outbreak in Rukongai, I've been asked to go deal with it," Izuru said, standing up and fastening his zanpakuto to his waist.

"I'll go too," Momo said. When Izuru looked at her questioningly, she merely smiled, "It's been a while since I've encountered a hollow, this should be good exercise."

---

Karin kicked the ball to Rina. Rina kicked out her leg, but hit the ball in the side, sending it in the wrong direction.

"Try to kick it the way I've been doing it," Karin instructed. She was in a grassy field with Rina, Wui, Rubi, and Asmato, teaching her new 'siblings' how to play soccer. The ball they had was not a very good one, being made of crude, heavy rubber, but it was better than nothing. Several adults were watching from nearby, evidently never having seen a soccer game before.

"Okay Asmato, now!" Karin kicked the ball to Asmato, a tall, thin boy with brown hair. For a moment it looked like he wasn't even going to attempt it, but then he kicked the ball, sending it flying to Karin, who stopped it with her foot.

"That was good! Next time just remember to-"

Before she could finish she was interrupted by a loud shout. A group of men wielding spears and axes came running from town. Karin recognized them as the local militia that guarded the district. She wondered what they were doing. Her question was answered Moments later her question when a loud roar came from the distance. Karin went pale. That was the cry of a hollow, just like the one that had killed her. She hadn't realized that there were hollows in Soul Society.

The men from the militia ran past the playing children, rushing over to the other side of the field. Moments later, a huge hollow emerged from the trees. It was massive, with trunk-like limbs and a small mask in relation to its large and muscular body. It looked like the giants of legend, standing upon two thick legs in a hunched manner. It saw the approaching militia guard, and grabbed a nearby tree, pulling it up by the roots. It threw the massive tree at the approaching men. The men were skilled, and able to dodge it, but it severely affected their attack formation. The hollow charged at them. One of the militia members, armed with a crossbow, shot it in the neck. This only made it angry, and it howled in pain, swatting at the men.

"Come on, let's get out of here!" Wui yelled. They began to run off just as a second hollow, this one looking like a praying mantis, showed up. It wasn't as large as the other one, but moved much more quickly, scuttling along on eight limbs, and had sharp scythe-like arms that it swung mercilessly at the men trying to fight it. At this point, Karin and the others were breaking into a run, wanting to put as much distance between themselves and the hollows.

"Wait!" Rubi cried. Karin turned to see that Rubi had gotten her foot stuck in a gopher hole and was struggling to get out. Karin rushed back and helped get her foot unstuck. Just as she got free however, yet another hollow appeared, this one a small bat-like hollow with wings. Its mask was shaped like a boomerang and its leathery wings were stretched out as it flew straight at them.

Karin grabbed Rubi and ran. The hollow dove at them with frightening speed, and Karin only narrowly avoided getting hit with its claws, feeling a whoosh of air against the back of her neck. She held on tightly to Rubi, watching as the hollow flew in mid air, preparing for its next strike. It was blocking the way between them and the others. Karin tried to think of a way she could get past it and go back home with the others. She had already been killed by hollows once; she had no intention of it happening again.

As she thought, there was a thud behind her. She turned around and saw that the large mantis hollow was approaching, several men with spears futiley trying to fight it off. It easily swatted them away with its massive scythe arms. Karin looked up at the bat hollow blocking their way and the mantis hollow behind them. After a moment's hesitation, she ran in the direction of the bat hollow. It was risky, but she had no choice. The bat hollow could kill them. The mantis hollow _would_ kill them.

The bat hollow dove towards them as they ran beneath it. This time Karin was not so lucky, getting slashed across the back by the hollow's talons. The beast's claws ripped through her flesh down to the bone. She collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain.

"Karin!" Rubi yelled, shaking her. Karin looked up and saw that the mantis-like hollow was right above them.

"Rubi, leave me, get out of here on your own!" Karin said weakly. Rubi didn't speak, instead hugging Karin and shaking her head violently. "Rubi, you have to go!" Karin begged her, "It's too late for me, there's no sense in you dying too!" There were tears in her eyes as she spoke. Rubi refused to leave Karin, hugging her tightly as the hollow raised its arm to attack.

The next thing they knew, the mantis hollow's scythe-like arm was lying on the ground, cut cleanly off. Karin looked up in shock to see two Shinigami, a man and a young woman, standing above her.

"You take the big one over there, I'll take these two," the female Shinigami said. The male Shinigami nodded and rushed off, while the female one turned to face the two hollows attacking them. She raised a hand, palm facing the bat hollow.

"Hado number 31: Shakkaho!" A ball of red energy shot from her palm, hitting the hollow and engulfing it in an explosion. The mantis hollow shrieked and struck with its remaining arm. The Shinigami easily dodged the strike. In the blink of an eye, she appeared at the side of the hollow, her sword dripping with blood. Three of the four legs on the right side of the hollow lay severed at her feet. The hollow let out a shriek of pain as it collapsed to its side, using its remaining legs to push itself around pathetically while it wildly swung its scythe arm. The battle's outcome had already been decided however.

The Shinigami leapt on the back of the hollow and stabbed it at the base of the neck. The hollow went nearly still, making only a few tiny movements of struggle. The girl looked over at her fellow Shinigami, who had just defeated the other hollow. She got off the hollow and walked calmly up to the hollow's head and thrust her blade into the hollow's mask. The hollow dissolved into a sparkling dust, and the Shinigami sheathed her sword as Karin looked on in awe.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to Aly Dee, Photophopic, war90, Yemi Hikari, Thunder Claw03, Psyco101, and The Great Pinapple MEKI for reviewing! Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter Six_

Karin stared in shock and awe as the Shinigami sheathed her zanpakuto. Her companion, having just slain the other hollow, walked over to her.

"Was it just those three?" she asked him.

"The initial report said four, but the fourth one is nowhere to be seen. I just checked and there have been no further sightings of any additional hollows. It's possible that the initial report was mistaken and there were only three to begin with," the male Shinigami answered.

"Maybe…but I think we should stick around for a while, just to be sure," the female Shinigami said.

"H-hey!" Karin said, still lying on the ground. The female Shinigami turned around.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I almost forgot you were there!" she said, "Izuru, this girl is wounded, could you patch her up? I'd do it myself, but you're better at healing."

"Sure thing Momo," the Shinigami named Izuru said. He walked over to where Kira was and placed his hands on her back. The wounds were serious, but not life threatening. The flesh had been slashed to the bone, and there was a lot of blood. A glow surrounded his hands as he began to heal her. A warm feeling came over the wounds on her back, and slowly they began to heal, the slashes beginning to close up.

"Excuse me, I need to talk to you about something," Karin said.

"Not now, wait for me to finish healing you," Izuru said.

"Will she be okay?" Rubi asked worriedly.

"She'll be good as new soon," Izuru said.

"I really need to talk to you guys," Karin said again. This was the perfect opportunity. She had to convince the two Shinigami to take her to Seireitei so she could find her brother.

"Heads up Izuru, it looks like we've got some trouble," the Shinigami named Momo said. Karin looked over and saw that the members of the local militia were gathering around them, many of them scowling and looking quite belligerent.

"Can we help you?" Momo asked. This statement caused several of the men to growl.

"Yeah, we want you to get out of here!" one of them said, "Shinigami are not welcome here!"

"If I'm not mistaken we just saved you," Momo said coolly, "The polite thing to do would be to thank us."

"Like hell we'd ever thank a Shinigami! I'll grant that you helped us just now, but you Shinigami have also always abandoned us and left us to fend for ourselves! You Shinigami have proved time after time that you do not care at all about citizens of Rukongai! You look down on us from your comfortable homes in Seireitei all the time. You're nothing but a bunch of snobs who do what feels convenient and bully us in Rukongai for fun!"

"Hey, I was originally from Rukongai!" Momo said indignantly, "And Shinigami are in charge of maintaining balance in both this world and the world of the living, it can't be helped that it's difficult to properly provide for a lot of the districts!"

"Yet you seem perfectly capable of providing for yourselves! You live in luxury while you leave Rukongai to suffer. We will not put up with you Shinigami here, not with that attitude you always seem to have!" Izuru, having just finished healing Karin, stood up in hopes of defusing the situation.

"That's enough, there's no point in fighting amongst-"

"Well we're staying here whether you like it or not," Momo said angrily to the man, ignoring Izuru, "It's our job to extinguish the hollows that appeared here and we're not leaving until we're certain that we've found them all. I can sympathize with you for the wrongs you feel Shinigami have committed against you, but I will not allow you to interfere with our jobs! I recommend you go back to your village now to avoid any unnecessary conflict.

"Why you…" one of the men said, shaking in rage, "How dare you treat us so dismissively!" He charged at her, fist drawn back, but Momo did nothing but calmly point her finger at the man.

"Bakudo 1: Sai!" she said. The man's arms were suddenly pinned behind his back as if trapped by an invisible force. He fell to his knees, struggling with futility to free himself. The man's companions immediately raised their weapons . At this point, Izuru ran forward and put himself between Momo and the angry men.

"That is enough," he said, "Your feelings are noted, but we must complete our duties here, and will not tolerate any interference. However, neither do we wish to unnecessarily antagonize you. Momo, undo the spell."

"Very well then," Momo said. She snapped her fingers and the man's arms were freed from the Kido spell.

"We apologize for any inconveniences and ask that you leave us now to do our jobs," Izuru said, "We have no desire to quarrel with you." Several of the men continued to glower and scowl at them, but nevertheless they began retreating, heading back to their village. Izuru breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad that's over," he said, "Be more careful next time. It's best not to antagonize these sorts of people."

"Right, sorry about that," Momo said, "Well then, what shall we do next?"

"I was thinking that we scout out the area to see if that other hollow is really here or if it was just a mistake in the report. Personally, I'd like to think that it was just an error, but one can never be too safe."

"Wait!" Karin said. They both turned around.

"Are you injured anywhere else?" Momo said, "Izuru, you'd better check to make sure you've healed all of her injuries."

"No, no, it's not that!" Karin said quickly, "I need to talk to you guys!"

"About what?"

"I…I need you to take me to Seireitei," Karin said. Momo and Izuru exchanged a glance with eachother.

"We're sorry, but only specially authorized people are allowed to enter Seireitei," Momo said, "We can't just allow entry to Seireitei to anyone who wants it."

"You don't understand, my brother is a Shinigami!" Karin said, "I need to see him!"

"Look kid, we don't have time for this. We have an important job to do and can't afford to waste time," Momo said. Despite the importance of the situation and her need to stay focused, Karin could not help but feel put off by Momo's calling her 'kid'. She didn't look more than a few years older than her after all. Karin pushed those thoughts aside though.

"Waste your time? How is this a waste of time? My brother is a Shinigami and I have to see him as soon as I can!" Karin said insistently.

"Look, it's nothing personal, but we've heard every excuse in the book," Izuru said, "People are always trying to get into Seireitei, and the 'my family member is a Shinigami' claim is a particularly popular method."

"Wait, you think I'm lying?" Karin said in shock, beginning to feel angry.

"Don't take it personally, I'm sure you're a great kid, but we know how tempting it is to try and get into Seireitei," Momo said, "I myself was from Rukongai, and I remember one time where a friend and I tried to get into Seireitei by telling a passing Shinigami that our father was with the Shinigami. He got mad and beat us. So the lesson is that lying is bad. Do you understand? Now do yourself a favor and go home."

"Why you…!" Karin said angrily, "Those other guys were right! You Shinigami _are_ a bunch of arrogant jerks!"

"Hey, there's no need for that kind of talk," Momo said, "We're just basing our decision on our past experience. We can't just believe you when so many others have told the same fib."

"And I think it's also important to mention that even if you're telling the truth, we can't take you to Seireitei," Izuru said, "The laws are strict. Even if you're the family of a Shinigami, you can't enter Seireitei on that basis alone. If you allow me to make a suggestion, please just go home. We have jobs to do and can't spend our time worrying about this."

"But can't you at least help me arrange a meeting with him?" Karin asked desperately, "I really need to see him! I swear that I'm telling the truth! If you take me to see Toushiro Hitsugaya, he can vouch for me! He'll confirm that I'm telling the truth!"

"Wait, what did you just say?" Momo asked, suddenly very tense. She and Izuru were glancing at eachother meaningfully.

"Toushiro Hitsugaya!" Karin repeated, "He's a Captain in your military! I've met him, he'll tell you that I'm telling the truth!"

"Uh, Izuru, I think we need to talk this over…" Momo said nervously. She and Izuru walked a short distance away, out of earshot from Karin.

They stood quietly for a moment, unsure what exactly to say. This new development was…surprising, to say the least.

"So what do you make of it?" Izuru asked.

"I honestly don't know," Momo said, "For her to know of Toush… I mean Captain Hitsugaya, isn't what one would expect from a girl her age."

"I'd like to know where she heard about him myself," Izuru said.

"Do you think she might actually be telling the truth?" Momo asked.

"It's doubtful. I can't think of any circumstances where a girl like her would meet a Captain. She must have heard about it from someone else, it's the only explanation. What do you think?"

"I don't know…" Momo said uncertainly, "I mean, yes she's probably lying, but still…I don't know what to think. It's strange to think that knowledge of the Captains extends this far into Rukongai. This…is very unusual. Perhaps we should take her back with us, at least to look into her claims."

"No, that's a bad idea," Izuru said, "If she is telling the truth, she still wouldn't be allowed to go to Seireitei. It's the law. And if it turns out she's lying, she'll get punished. She's just a kid. Kids make claims like this all the time. It may be hard, but we can't rely solely on her word."

"I guess you're right, but still I wish we could do something about her," Momo said, "She knows about Toushiro…Captain Hitsugaya, so there must be something going on here. I'm starting to think that taking her with us might be justified."

"I know what you're saying, but we can't. Aside from being against the law, we still have a job to finish out here, remember? We can't worry about this right now."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right."

They turned to Karin and walked over.

"We're sorry, but we can't allow you to accompany us," Izuru said.

"Please! I have to go, he's my family! I need to see him!" Karin said, "This may be my only chance to see him again! Don't take away my family!"

"Well what about her?" Momo asked, pointing at Rubi. Karin saw that Rubi was crying.

"You don't want to be with us anymore?" Rubi asked tearfully.

"No, no, no! It's not that! Of course I want to be with you! It's just…my brother...I…"

"Let me give you this bit of advice," Momo said, "The family you make in Rukongai is precious. Value them and never allow yourself to forget how important they are. Now if you'll excuse us, we have to go."

Momo and Izuru turned and walked away, leaving Karin and Rubi behind.

---

Ichigo took a deep breath as he stood at the doorways of his school. This would be his first day back since his sister had been killed. In truth he didn't feel ready at all, but knew that the longer he stayed away, the more difficult it would be to go back. Taking a deep breath, he opened the doors and walked in. It was early, much earlier than the time that most students arrived. He walked through the halls and to his class. When he arrived at the classroom door however, he found it locked. Evidently, even the teacher had not arrived yet.

Sighing, he sat down against the wall. Today was going to be a bad day, he could already feel it. He wondered how everyone else would treat him. Probably extra sensitively, or perhaps ignoring him entirely. He wasn't sure he would like that. On one hand, it meant that he wouldn't have to talk much, but on the other, it meant everybody would be pitying him. He didn't want pity. He didn't begrudge them for it, but he didn't like it either.

He was rather uncomfortable with the prospect of facing his friends. What was he supposed to say to them? What would they say to him? He couldn't help but wonder if he deserved any sympathy given to him. He had essentially abandoned this world after all. He felt like his life on earth had been taken from him by the circumstances. Despite the friends he had in Soul Society, he still felt a sense of belonging here on earth, at least for the time being. Yet despite this, he had grown further and further from his attachments to the living world. This was quite possibly responsible for Karin's death. He should have been there to save her.

He pushed that sort of thought away. He had already obsessed enough over it. He couldn't spend his life in angst like this, he had to focus on what was to come.

He had been sitting down for several minutes when he heard voices approaching.

"But why didn't you try to hook me up with one?"

"How would I do that?"

"How should I know? You're the one who's able to casually seduce older women!"

Ichigo recognized the voices as being of his friends Keigo and Mizuiro, with Keigo obviously having another one of his fits.

"It's not fair though!" he whined, "Why do you get all the girls?"

"I don't know," Mizuiro said.

"Well could you at least not flaunt it around in front of me? That is just so cruel!" Keigo said, "Oh, Ichigo!" he said as he walked into the room. Ichigo was sure that the conversation would change now, but Keigo kept talking. "You'll never believe what happened last night! Mizuiro came over to my house with _two_ hot women!"

"Well good for him then I guess," Ichigo said. He wasn't sure what was going on. They both knew what had happened with his sister, so why were they acting like everything was normal?

"No Ichigo!" Keigo said, "It's not good! He kept going off to the bathroom to have sex with them! My bathroom! He takes two women into my house and uses my bathroom as his rutting grounds!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Mizuiro said with an innocent smile, "I was just helping them put on some make-up."

"Liar! Liar! Liar!" Keigo yelled, "You were off having a threesome with two drop-dead gorgeous women! Unbelievable!"

"Well, not that unbelievable." Ichigo, Keigo, and Mizuiro realized that Sado was standing behind them, listening quietly to their conversation.

"What do you mean? Are you taking his side?!" Keigo asked.

"I'm just saying that it's not that crazy to imagine Mizuiro doing what you said he did. Remember that time that he satisfied twelve women at once?"

"Wha-wha-wha-whaaaaaaaaaaat?!?!" Keigo yelled, "When did this happen? How did this happen? How is that even possible? How did you even convince that many women?"

As they spoke, Mahana Natsui, Chizuru Honsho, Ryo Kunieda, and Michiru Ogawa walked in. Keigo immediately sat up.

"Ah! You guys! You're girls, right?" he said quickly.

"Last time I checked," Ryo said rather coldly.

"Well then tell me: why do girls like Mizuiro so much? He's not buff or handsome or manly, I've never seen him act suave or seductive, and he just generally doesn't seem to be that type of guy! What's going on?"

"Well I guess the first thing to point out is that he looks innocent and non-threatening," Michiru said, "Women are more likely to trust him than say, Ichigo or Uryu."

"And he's not entirely bad to look at you know," Mahana said, "He's a lot cuter than you are Keigo." Keigo nearly burst into tears.

"But he never even seems to try! Women just flock to him!" Keigo cried.

"Well that's just what you see," Chizuru pointed out, "I've watched him. He's a master of subtly attracting and seducing women. I wish I had his charms sometimes…"

"You all give me too much credit," Mizuiro said with a nervous laugh, "I just happen to get lucky a lot."

"Yeah, you certainly do 'get lucky'," Keigo said.

This continued as the class filled with people. The conversation was soon drifting into even more ludicrous topics, and Ichigo watched as his friends (mainly Keigo) argued over them. He couldn't figure out what was going on. They all knew that Karin had died, why weren't they acting any differently than usual around him? He had been gone in Soul Society for several months, but it was hard to imagine that his friends would all stop caring about Ichigo in that time, and in any case it wasn't like they were doing anything to intentionally antagonize him. In fact, he very nearly smiled several times as he listened to them babble about this or that. Suddenly a voice called out to him.

"Ichigo!"

Ichigo looked up and saw Orihime running towards him. He turned a little red. He knew that Orihime cared a lot about him, and surely would be trying to comfort him as best she could. While he appreciated the sentiment, he didn't like the idea of being pities or shown special sensitivity. As Orihime drew closer however, she was delayed as Chizuru began running towards her.

"Hime! My one true-" she was stopped in her tracks as Tatsuki's fist collided with her face.

"Stop trying to corrupt Orihime," Tatsuki said.

"Awwww, why do you keep trying to keep us apart?" Chizuru whined, "Orihime and I are meant to be together!"

"Yeah, in your insane fantasies," Tatsuki muttered.

Orihime looked uncertain for a moment, but eventually made her way over to Ichigo.

"Ichigo, hi!" she said. Ichigo noticed that she was carrying a basket, and wasn't sure what to think.

"Hello Orihime, it's good to see you," he said.

"So Ichigo, I have a big surprise for you!" she said.

"Oh really? What is it?" Ichigo asked with feigned interest, wondering why even Orihime was acting this way.

"I've been making cookies to give to the sewing club later, and wanted you to test them out for me!" she said happily. Ichigo nearly turned green. He knew perfectly well what Orihime's cooking was like.

"Well…It's almost class, so maybe we should wait until-"

"Nonsense! I insist!" Orihime said, reaching into her basket, "First, there's my 'fruitcake cookies'. All the goodness of fruitcake in cookie form!" She pulled out a hideous looking cookie with bits of candied fruit sticking out. She looked at Ichigo eagerly, and he was left with no choice but to take a bite. He shuddered, tears coming to his eyes. It was every bit as bad as regular fruitcake, with Orihime's 'special touches' no doubt making it worse. She put on a fake smile.

"It's…great…" he said slowly.

"Oh good! Then here's another one! I call it my 'reverse molasses cookie!"

"Why is it called that?" Ichigo asked apprehensively..

"Because normally a molasses cookie has four or five times as much flour and sugar as molasses, but mine have ten times as much molasses as all the other ingredients combined!" She took out a cookie that looked like a solidified, burnt glob of molasses. Again, Ichigo was forced to take a bite, wincing as he nearly broke a tooth on the hard thing.

"Just one more!" Orihime said. She pulled out a brown cookie and handed it to Ichigo. Wanting to get this over as soon as possible, Ichigo hurriedly shoved the cookie in his mouth. To his great surprise though, it was absolutely delicious.

"Mmmm, Orihime, what did you make this with?" he asked. He almost immediately regretted asking.

"Well, after mixing up the flour and sugar, I added some fresh goat blood and ground up scorpions," she said cheerfully. Ichigo went pale.

"Scorpions?"

"Yep! Dried and ground up! Then I put in a little bit of potting soil to give it a nice texture, and a bunch of spices I found in this abandoned tool shed behind my house! So would you like another?"

Ichigo looked like he might faint at this point, but luckily he was rescued by Tatsuki.

"Okay Orihime, I think you can stop tormenting him now," she said putting a hand on Orihime's shoulder and leading her away, but not before shooting a meaningful glance at Ichigo.

The entire morning went just like a normal one. Everyone behaved the same as always, and his friends were acting like their normal spells. Ichigo was a bit glad that there was no special treatment of him or extra sensitivity around him, but he was still puzzled.

At lunch, he, Sado, Keigo, and Mizuiro sat on the rooftop, eating their lunch. Keigo was again babbling crazily.

"But what if you hooked me up with one? Come on man, you can get women to do whatever you want, why don't you suggest that sexy stud of a friend you have?" he said pleadingly.

"Because women don't view you that way Mr. Asano," Mizuiro said.

"Waaaaah! You're saying it again! Call me by my regular name you womanizing meanie!" Keigo was standing up and dancing around, crying and babbling, when he was pushed aside.

"Move over punk!" yelled Reiichi Oshima, a bully who frequently tried to pick fights with Ichigo.

"Oh, it's you again," Ichigo said, "Hello loser."

"You'd better watch that mouth or I'll break it!" Oshima growled, "I believe I've told you to change your hair color before! You're taking my style! Now change your fucking hair before I force you to!" Ichigo and Sado stood up, ready for a fight, but to their surprise, Mizuiro stood between them.

"Now, now, calm down. Reiichi, you really shouldn't be using language like that. I might just have to tell your mother," he said mildly.

"If you don't stand aside, you'll be crying and screaming in _your_ mother's arms!" Oshima said.

"Funny you should word it like that, because just last night your mother was screaming in my arms." Mizuiro said, his voice never losing its polite tone.

"You'd better shut your fucking mouth," Oshima said angrily.

"Your mom never did that last night, I had her moaning and yelling all night long," Mizuiro said.

"That's it, you'd better stop saying that bullshit before I break your face in. Now stop making stupid trash talk!"

"Trash talk? Oh no, you misunderstand. I really _did_ sleep with your mom last night. Her name is Rina, correct? Long dark hair, brown eyes, great legs…"

"Why you! I'll fucking kill you!" he ran screaming at Mizuiro, but in his anger slipped on a sandwich left on the ground, lost his footing, and tumbled over the edge of the roof. Everyone looked over and saw that Oshima had fallen into a bush below."

"Well that was really something," Mizuiro said simply, as if nothing had happened, "So Sado, have you seen that new reality show where they make the contestants eat bees?"

"I think that was just one episode. In the episode I saw they were eating fire ants."

"Oh right, of course! I forgot about that!"

"Okay, what's going on?" Ichigo suddenly said, "What's going on? You guys know what happened, don't you?"

"Of course we do," Keigo said.

"Yeah, we were some of the first to hear about it," Sado said.

"It was all over the papers," Mizuiro added.

"So…if you knew about it, why are you acting so…normal around me?"

"Do you want us to treat you differently because of it?" Sado asked, "Were you hoping we'd stay quiet and try not to talk to you? Did you want us to all treat you more gently?"

"No! I mean…I don't know, but why are you acting like this? It seems like your first instinct would be to try and say something to me or to attempt to treat me with extra kindness! It's just…weird to see you acting like this under these sorts of circumstances.

"Ichigo, we're your friends," Keigo said, "We know you wouldn't want to be treated differently or for us to constantly remind you of what happened by treading carefully around you. We've known you too long to think that would help you at all."

"We decided that it was best to just act normally until you were ready to discuss it," Mizuiro said.

"And whenever that time comes, know that we're here for you, and that we'll listen to anything you have to say," Sado said.

Ichigo was overwhelmed with gratefulness towards his friends.

"Oh darn, I think there's some dust in my eyes," he said with an uncharacteristic laugh, wiping at his eye, "Thanks guys, you really are true friends."

---

Karin sat in the corner of the house, hugging her knees and struggling with her resolve not to cry. She had come so close. Those Shinigami could have easily taken her to Ichigo, but they didn't believe her. She supposed that she couldn't really blame them given the circumstances, but it was still…disheartening, to say the least.

She had just begun to accept that this was her new life from now on, and no sooner had she begun to accept that fact, the prospect of joining up with her old life was dangled in front of her, only to be taken away just as quickly. Karin wanted to see her brother again. What good it would do she wasn't sure, but she had to see him, as he was her true family. She cared for her new 'family' in Rukongai surprisingly strongly for people she had only recently met, but it just wasn't the same as a true family. They had attempted to explain that over time, the old bonds would fade and the family she made in Rukongai would become her true family.

She wasn't sure she wanted that. She didn't want to forget about Yuzu, Ichigo, and even her idiot father. She wanted to see them again, even if it was just one more time, but now that hope seemed more impossible than ever.

"Karin?" Rubi said, walking over to her, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Karin said quickly, "I'm just a little…never mind, I'm fine!"

"Do you really want to leave us?" Rubi asked.

"Oh no, that's not what I meant earlier!" Karin said quickly, "I was just…I don't know. It's not that I don't like you guys, I just don't feel I belong here."

"Where do you belong?" Rubi asked.

"I honestly don't know," Karin admitted.

They were silent for several minutes, staring blankly at the floor. Karin didn't know what to do next. She supposed that she could do anything she wanted. She had her entire afterlife after all, it wasn't like she'd be short on time. But still, she longed for a goal, a destination, a purpose. Spending her entire afterlife merely existing seemed very empty. Part of why she had wanted to see Ichigo was because she hoped he might offer her guidance or help her find her place in Soul Society. She sighed. It all seemed hopeless now. She knew she would have to accept the fact that she probably wouldn't see her brother or anyone else in her family again.

"Hey Karin, what's that?" Rubi asked.

"What's wha-" she realized mid-sentence what Rubi was talking about. There was a distant rumbling, and the ground was moving beneath their feet. Several others ran out, confused over what was happening.

"An earthquake?" someone asked.

"I don't know," the old man caring for them said, "I've never seen an earthquake in Soul Society before, but I think it best we go outside in case something in the house collapses."

As the rumbling grew, they all looked at eachother nervously. Suddenly, it stopped. There was silence for a moment, and then the ground split apart and a massive worm-like hollow came out. Her siblings screamed in terror, and the old man tried to get them back into the house. The hollow swayed its head back and forth, seemingly trying to get a sense of where its prey was. It finally settled on the direction of the house, and began moving forward.

Looking over at her newfound family and home that the hollow was advancing on, Karin ran around to the other side of the hollow.

"Hey! Hey! Hey ugly, over here!" she yelled. The hollow paused for a moment, seemingly unsure what to do. Karin picked up a nearby rock and threw it at the hollow. Though the rock could not possibly have caused the hollow any real pain given its size, this was enough to divert its attention to Karin.

"Karin!" Rubi yelled. Several of the others were yelling as well.

"You guys get back!" Karin called back, "Get away from here as fast as you can!" She backed away as the worm-like hollow advanced, soon breaking into a run, trying to lead it away from her family. The hollow moved towards her at a rather sluggish pace considering its size, but still more than fast enough to soon overtake Karin. She soon found herself in its shadow as it loomed over her. It moved its head back a little before lunging at Karin. She closed her eyes, waiting for the hollow to eat her. After several moments however, she realized that nothing was happening. She opened her eyes a crack, and was surprised at what she saw.

The Shinigami, Momo and Izuru, stood before her, their swords drawn. The hollow was now lying on the ground in three pieces, the pieces writhing and twisting around eachother.

"Looks like this guy doesn't want to go down," Izuru noted.

"Indeed," Momo said, raising her hand, "Hado 54: Abolishing flames!" A blast of purple energy was released, hitting the nearest piece of the dismembered hollow. It was completely engulfed in flames and within seconds had completely disintegrated. Momo repeated the process with the other two, and soon the hollow was completely incinerated.

"Y-you guys…" Karin said, not expecting to see them again.

"Yes, it seems we were foolish to have left you before," Izuru said.

"We should have noticed when we first saw you," Momo added, "We followed you after we realized it, and this hollow attack seems to confirm it."

"Confirm what?" Karin asked, "What are you talking about."

"Tell me, are you feeling hungry?" Momo asked.

"Yeah, I guess I'm a bit hungry, but I can eat later, so answer my question!" Karin said insistently. Momo and Izuru glanced at eachother.

"It would appear," Izuru said slowly, "That you are gifted with some degree of spiritual power."

"Me? Really?" Karin said in shock. She knew she had the ability to see ghosts back when she was alive, but she hadn't thought that she had any actual powers, or that she would retain any unique abilities upon coming to Soul Society.

"Given the circumstances, we've reconsidered our earlier position," Momo said.

"Really? So I can go to Seireitei and see my brother?" Karin asked.

"Well…not exactly," Izuru said, "We still don't know for sure what's going on, and taking you to Seireitei is illegal and a big risk for us. But it now seems that leaving you here would be a bigger risk."

"It was probably your power that attracted that hollow and the ones earlier to this area," Momo said, "By being here, you're putting those around you in danger." Karin looked over at the family she had made, all of whom were listening in on what was being said.

"What's going to happen with me?" Karin said.

"Ideally, we'll be able to get you in contact with your brother. They won't be happy with us for bringing you to Seireitei, but it's the best option right now. After you see him, we'll figure out what to do next. You probably won't be able to live in Seireitei, but I might be able to arrange for you to be transferred to Junrinan, where I grew up. It's much safer there, and you'll be able to visit your brother from time to time. With your spiritual power, you may even be able to enroll in the Shinigami academy in a few years," Momo explained.

"So…you're taking me there?" Karin asked, this turn of events seeming too good to be true.

"That's the plan," Izuru said.

"Now?" Karin asked.

"Yes, as soon as we can," Momo said. Karin nearly jumped in joy, and was about to run back to the house to retrieve what few possessions she had when she realized something else. She turned to the two Shinigami.

"What about my family?" she asked, pointing at the people who served as her new family in Rukongai.

"I'm afraid they can't come with us," Izuru said, "I know it seems difficult, but leaving is best right now. If you stay, you may end up putting them in danger again." Karin hesitated uncertainly for a minute.

"Do you still want us to take you to Seireitei?" Momo asked. Karin looked over to the people who had served as her family for this short time. All were nodding their approval, with several yelling out words of encouragement. Karin finally turned back to the Shinigami.

"Yes, I'll go," she said.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to Photophopic, .fire333, Hinata-cutie, Thunder Claw03, War90, The Great Pineapple MEKI, Yemi Hikari, and Psyco101 for reviewing! Please review! Also, note that I've decided to start allowing anonymous reviews.


	7. Chapter 7

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter Seven_

"Okay, now you just stay there until we figure out the details. Don't leave, don't let anyone in, and don't do anything to make people realize you're here. Understood?"

"Understood," Karin replied.

They were in Momo's quarters. Karin sat on Momo's couch while Izuru and Momo stood in front of her, impressing upon her the importance of not alerting others to her presence while they were gone. When they were satisfied that Karin understood the importance of the matter, they left, again reminding her to be careful.

Momo sighed heavily when they were outside.

"This is going to be a mess," she said, "What were we thinking when we took her here? We're going to get in big trouble for this!"

"Hey, you were the one who said we should take her back with us," Izuru reminded her.

"Yeah, but you agreed with me!" Momo said, "It…it was an error in judgment. We're never going to be able to locate her brother on our own! We'll need help, and we can't just tell everyone that we took some kid to Seireitei without authorization! We barely got her past the gate guards, and now we have to keep everybody from noticing until we figure out what to do with her! This is going to end up a huge mess!"

"Calm down, we'll think of something," Izuru said, "Didn't she say that she knew Captain Hitsugaya? We could take her to him."

"I…I'd prefer not to do that…" Momo said, thinking of her strained relationship with Toushiro.

"It might be the only way," Izuru said, "Besides, we just have to convince him to come see her. If what she says is true, it will clear everything up." Momo gulped.

"Very well then," she said. The matter decided, she and Izuru used shunpo to go off to the Tenth Division.

---

Karin leaned back against the couch, glancing around the room. It was plain with no distinctive features. There were several stacks of books lying around. Karin shifted out of anxiety. She was just going to have to wait and see what happened now. She wondered when she would see Ichigo again. Those Shinigami had seemed rather nervous when they were taking her to Seireitei. They had taken turns carrying her on their backs and using their 'shunpo' technique. It was quite amazing, but the closer they came to Seireitei the more anxious the two appeared. Several times they seemed like they might just drop her off somewhere before even reaching Seireitei. Finally, they reached the wall that surrounded Seireitei. Almost as soon as the walled city was in sight, the female Shinigami did something strange to her. One minute she had been normal, and the next she was nearly invisible. She had been told to be quiet before being taken through a gate guarded by a giant. They went through quite briskly, and hurried to Momo's quarters before turning her visible again. They hadn't bothered to explain things to her, instead just telling her to remain where she was, promptly leaving afterwards.

She felt a little annoyed at them for not explaining more and for leaving her on her own, but was more anxious than anything. Was there going to be any trouble? They had mentioned the existence of laws preventing Shinigami from taking people from Rukongai to Seireitei. The penalties for this were unknown to Karin, and she didn't know if she or the Shinigami who helped her would get in trouble for it. She quickly shook those thoughts away. Things would work out in the end. She was sure of it. As soon as they found out that her brother was Ichigo…

Karin suddenly sat bolt upright. _Ichigo!_ She had forgotten to tell them that her brother was Ichigo! She smacked herself in the head for her stupidity. She should have given the Shinigami that information as soon as she met them.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid…" she growled to herself. She stood up and walked towards the door. There was still a chance that they would still be there. When she reached for the door knob however, her hand immediately recoiled as she felt something akin to a static shock. Reaching again, the same thing happened. When her fingers were a few inches away, they were given a powerful shock. Looking more closely, she saw that there was a faint, nearly transparent blue wall covering the door knob. She wondered where it had come from, before realizing that it must have been the Shinigami's way of keeping her in.

She growled. She had promised that she would stay put, but when she had such vital information to give them…

She took a deep breath and steadily moved her hand forward. Once again, she was given a shock, but did not recoil, instead continuing to move her hand forward through the barrier. The static still shocked her hand, and it was soon numb, but she was soon able to grasp the door knob.

As soon as she did however, she was immediately thrown back. She crashed onto the ground, getting up painfully and glaring at the door. They had clearly rigged it so that she wouldn't be able to get out.

Grumbling, she got back onto the couch. They would come back eventually, she'd just have to tell them then…

---

Ichigo took a deep breath. He had to do this. He knew now that it wasn't an option. That didn't make it any easier though.

Bracing himself, he opened the door and walked into his father's room. The walls were covered in posters of his mother, Masaki. Isshin himself sat upon his bed, staring at a new poster of Karin that he had put up recently.

"Hello Ichigo," he said calmly, "I thought you might come to see me."

"We…need to talk," Ichigo said slowly.

"About what?"

"I don't know…" Ichigo admitted.

"I expected that you'd say that too." Isshin lacked his usual goofy attitude, for which Ichigo was quite grateful.

"Well…what am I supposed to say?" Ichigo said awkwardly. He was feeling rather stupid. He had been so concentrated on working up the nerve to actually talk about Karin's death that he had completely neglected to think of _what_ he would be saying.

"Are you blaming yourself?" Isshin said calmly.

"What?" Ichigo said, caught off guard.

"I asked if you were blaming yourself, like you did with your mother."

"I…I don't really…yeah, I guess so…" Ichigo admitted.

"How do you consider yourself responsible?" Isshin asked.

"I…I was…" Ichigo stuttered. He couldn't exactly tell him that he had been off in Soul Society, and Isshin didn't even know that it was a hollow that killed Karin. He hurriedly thought of something to say. "I, uh, I've been spending a lot of time with some friends…from out of town. I've practically been abandoning Karakura lately. If I had been more involved with things around here, then maybe I would have been able to do something."

"Like what? Would you have been there in time to prevent the accident?" Isshin asked, "I think that it's not just Karin, you're confused about what role these other 'friends' of yours play in your life."

"Perhaps," Ichigo said, "I just…now that she's gone, I find myself wishing that I had been around here more. I've forgotten to appreciate the thing in my life. Today at school, there were things that I've never given a second glance to that somehow struck me in a very strange way. It's all just very odd and unsettling…"

"Yes," said Isshin, "These types of tragedies really do make you view things differently. It seems to me that you're struggling to decide where you belong, with these 'friends from out of town' or with your family and friends in Karakura. Now I'm not trying to turn you away from these other friends of yours, and I'm admittedly biased towards, oh, let's call it 'team Karakura', but you're going to have to make a choice eventually. Dividing yourself between two different places will make for a very difficult life. Take my word for it…"

Ichigo marveled at what his father had said. It was as if he was able to know exactly what it was that was bothering him. He tried to hide this amazement when he spoke again.

"What about Karin? I thought we were supposed to talk about her?" Ichigo said. Isshin smiled wisely.

"Was that really what you wanted to talk about? It may be what triggered this sadness and grief, but it's not the root of the problem. Trust me when I say that your old man knows more than you think. Now you really must excuse me, I have to go out for something. By the way, perhaps you should spend some time with Yuzu. She's the one who really needs support right now." With that, Isshin walked off, leaving Ichigo to ponder his father's words.

---

Izuru knocked on the door to the Tenth Division's main office. Momo was fidgeting nervously, worried about facing Toushiro. Though they weren't antagonistic or angry towards eachother, it was still awkward to see her old friend after their friendship had become so strained. She also worried about the possibility of getting in trouble for taking Karin to Seireitei. The more she thought of it, the more she felt that it had been a bad idea. It was a result of that same weakness that had caused her so much difficulty in the past: she allowed her emotions get the better of her. She had felt bad for Karin, and had taken her to Seireitei despite the laws against it. She was an empathetic and caring girl, but she still had to perform the duties of a Shinigami Vice-captain, and by breaking the law she had once again failed her duties.

Izuru was nervous as well. They had a fairly good reason to take her from her old home: protecting her and her family from hollow attacks and helping her find her older brother; but they should have done so more carefully, perhaps by taking her to District One and leaving her their until they could make the proper arrangements. Though he still felt that they'd had no choice, he was increasingly nervous. He only hoped that Captain Hitsugaya would be of help to them.

The door opened, and Rangiku Matsumoto walked out, a jug of sake in her hand.

"Oh, hey guys!" she said brightly, "What brings you here?"

"Um, hi Rangiku," Momo said, eyeing the sake in her hand, "Is, um, is Toushi- I mean, is _Captain Hitsugaya_ here?"

"Nope," Matsumoto said, "He's off on a mission to investigate something in the world of the living."

"Darn it," Izuru muttered. Momo looked a little relieved, but quickly got nervous again as this meant that Toushiro wouldn't be able to help them with this matter.

"Now what?" Momo asked, "What are we going to do now?"

"Do about what? What's wrong with you guys?" Matsumoto asked. Izuru sighed.

"Don't tell anyone, but we sort of took this kid from Rukongai to Seireitei without authorization," he admitted.

"Why'd you do that?" Matsumoto asked. Momo, who was by now very anxious, spoke in a rapid-fire manner without pause.

"ShesaidthatherbrotherwasaShinigami and shehadanunusuallyhighlevelofreiatsu and hollows weretargetingher and wefeltbadforher and shesaidsheknewToushiro and wewantedtodosomething so wetookherhere and nowshe'shidinginmyapartment and we'regoingto getintroubleifwe'recaught so wecametoseeToushiro but he'snothere and she'sstillatmyapartment and we'llgetinsomuchtroubleifwe'recaught and webrokethelaw and-" Momo babbled on incoherently without stopping.

"Momo! Calm down!" Matsumoto said, putting her hands on her shoulders, "Breathe Momo, breathe!" Momo stopped talking and breathed quickly putting a hand to her chest in an attempt to calm herself.

"I'm sorry Rangiku, I just…I have no idea what to do! We're going to be in a lot of trouble if we're caught, and we barely got her in to Seireitei, we won't be able to get her out!" Momo said, "Oh, we should never have taken her here in the first place!"

"Don't say that, you took her in out of kindness, you don't need to feel ashamed of that," Matsumoto said, "Let me see her, I'll try to figure something out. If nothing else, I'll let her stay with me so you won't get in trouble for it."

"You'd…you'd do that for me?" Momo said, tears in her eyes.

"Of course! We're friends, aren't we? Besides, if what you said is true, my Captain should be able to figure something out as soon as he gets back," Matsumoto said.

"Well in that case we'd better get going," Izuru said, "The sooner we sort this out the better."

They all ran outside and began shunpoing towards Momo's apartment.

"So what's this girl like?" Matsumoto asked as they shunpoed through the streets of Seireitei.

"We haven't spent much time with her, so we can't really be certain yet," Momo said, "She seems nice enough th- Oh no…" They stopped in their tracks just outside of Momo's personal quarters. Numerous masked men from the Special Forces were standing guard outside the building. Several of them quickly surrounded Momo, Izuru, and Matsumoto, herding them towards the door. They were forced inside, where Captain Soi Fon, flanked by two of her men, stood in front of, Karin, who had her wrists bound together with special restraints.

"C-Captain Soi Fon…" Momo whispered in fear, "Wh-wha…what are you…"

"What am I doing here?" Soi Fon answered coldly, "I am here because I received a report of two Vice-captains smuggling a soul from Rukongai into Seireitei! Surely you must know what a serious offense this is?"

"Captain Soi Fon, you have to listen," Izuru said hastily, "There were unique circumstances! We felt that this was the best-"

"I will hear no excuses," Soi Fon said, "Vice-captain Hinamori, Vice-captain Kira; you are both under arrest for-"

"Karin!!!" the previously silent Matsumtoto suddenly squealed. She ran forward and hugged Karin, smothering her in her chest. "I can't believe it! It's really you! It's you, it's you, it's you! This is fantastic! We have to send word to Ichigo! Oh man, I never would have thought it was you! Amazing! Simply amazing!"

"Excuse me, but what the hell are you talking about?" Soi Fon asked irritably. Matsumoto turned with a big grin.

"Captain Soi Fon, I think that no arrests will be necessary," she laughed, "I'd like you all to meet Karin Kurosaki, the younger sister of Shinigami Representative Ichigo Kurosaki."

---

Ichigo was lying on his bed silently, thinking of what his father had said, when a shape suddenly leapt up into his window. He looked up and saw to his surprise that it was Rukia.

"Rukia! What are you-?"

"Hello Ichigo," Rukia interrupted with a smile, "I think I have some news that will make you very happy…"

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to blackwitchkarma, war90, Thunder Claw03, Photophopic, Yemi Hikari, .fire333, Hinata-cutie, The Great Pineapple MEKI, Psyco101, and Chillis for reviewing! Please review; you all know how much I love hearing from my readers!


	8. Chapter 8

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 8_

"No way…" Ichigo said in shock, "You…you mean it? They really found Karin?"

"Yes," Rukia said with a smile, "She's staying with Vice-captain Matsumoto right now."

"I can't believe this…" Ichigo said in amazement, "Everybody said that it's nearly impossible to find someone specific after they've moved on to Soul Society."

"That's true," Rukia said, "It's extremely rare, but as this situation shows you, not impossible. She was very lucky to be found."

"I never thought I'd see her again…this is wonderful news! I honestly don't know what to say! Karin…I'll be able to see her again! This…this is…" Ichigo said, an unusually bright look about him.

"Calm down Ichigo, we still have some things to work out," Rukia said, "First things first, I think it'd be appropriate for you to visit your sister right away.

"You mean now? Right now?"

"Well, I assumed that you'd want to come to Soul Society to see her, so I obtained permission for you to return to Soul Society with me," Rukia said.

"Thank you, but…I have to make some arrangements first," Ichigo said.

"What kind of 'arrangements'?" Rukia asked.

"I need to talk to Chad and Uryu. I'm going to ask them to look out for my family while I'm gone," Ichigo said, "Also, I need to talk to Yuzu. She's really taking Karin's death hard. Just give me a little bit, I'll be done in no time."

"If you insist," Rukia said, "But keep in mind that we don't have unlimited time. I'll need you to be back here in a few hours at the most."

"No problem," Ichigo said, already walking towards the door, "I'll be back soon. Also, thank you." With that he ran out, leaving Rukia behind to wait for him.

---

"So will Ichigo be here soon?" Karin asked Rangiku Matsumoto.

"I don't know. Rukia Kuchiki has gone to bring Ichigo back here, but we don't know when she'll be back," Rangiku said, "We'll just have to wait and see."

Karin fidgeted as she sat on a large, soft couch in Rangiku's apartment. The place was a bit bigger than Momo's, and it was decorated with brightly colored pictures and furniture, in contrast to the dull earth tones that dominated Momo's apartment. Karin found herself staring around as she sat on the squishy couch with Rangiku. She began to make idle conversation to pass the time.

"This place is nice," she said, gazing at the walls, painted in warm colors, and admiring the paintings and pictures that hung on the walls.

"Thanks!" Rangiku said, "I decorated it myself!"

"I see. So do all Shinigami live in places like this?" Momo asked.

"Oh no; only Captains, Vice-captains, some of the upper seated officers, and Shinigami from wealthier families have their own dwellings. Most Shinigami live in barracks or in shared living quarters."

"So…that girl who I was staying with before, she was..."

"Yup! She was a Vice-captain, just like me! Didn't she tell you?"

"She never had time to mention it and I never bothered to ask," Karin admitted, "We didn't really talk much, they just took me to her place and told me to wait there and, well, you know the rest of the story. So she's really the same rank as you? She seems so young…" Rangiku laughed at this.

"You have a lot of things to get used to in Soul Society," she chuckled, "Sure she 'seems' young, but she's really 159 years old!" Karin's eyes widened at this.

"What? How…how can that be?" she asked in astonishment.

"Surely you must have realized that people in Soul Society live a lot longer?"

"Well yeah, but I thought they'd at least age normally…" Karin said, embarrassed over her lack of knowledge of the subject.

"Well it depends on the individual. Some souls age at a nearly normal pace, others age ridiculously slowly, and there are souls who age at every rate in between. Momo's 159, Izuru's 156, I'm 200, and Captain Hitsugaya is 112."

"Wow, you guys are all ancient," Karin said in amazement, "I guess that explains why Toushiro and that Momo girl managed to achieve the ranks they did."

"No, age had nothing to do with it," Rangiku said, "They're both highly gifted, and achieved their ranks at an age before I did. Captain Hitsugaya is a prodigy and one of the most gifted Shinigami in Soul Society history, and Momo is a Kido master on a level beyond that of most captains. Both fully deserve their positions, even if a few others will try to deny it."

"Kido?" Karin asked in confusion.

"Kido refers to the spells that we Shinigami use, and is one of the primary Shinigami skills. There are four sets of skills practiced by Shinigami: Zanpakuto combat, hand-to-hand combat, stepping techniques, and Kido. Obviously Zanpakuto combat is the primary skill used by Shinigami, but the others are also important. Kido is a highly useful skill. When Momo is using her Kido abilities to their full extent, she can easily take on foes stronger than herself."

Karin listened as Rangiku spoke, amazed at what the Shinigami was saying. She found herself enthralled by the things being said, and more questions kept popping into her head.

"What about Toushiro? How powerful is he?" Karin asked.

"The Captain? I don't really know. He was able to fight off high-level espada during the war, but the circumstances involving those fights makes the degree of which that can be used to gauge his power level questionable. Different people have different opinions. Some view him as one of the weakest Captains, others say he's one of the strongest. Some think that as a prodigy, he merely attained the power of other captain-level Shinigami at a young age, and is already at or near his maximum level, while others think he still has a lot of room for growth. Regardless, he's definitely very powerful, even if he can't fully control his Bankai release."

"Bankai?" Karin asked, once again confused by the terminology.

"Bankai is what we Shinigami call the second release of our zanpakuto. The first release, Shikai, unleashes our power, giving us special abilities from deep within our souls. Bankai is different though, it doesn't just release the powers deep inside of us, it exponentially increases our powers. When a Shinigami obtains bankai, their powers are extended beyond their normal level. Nobody is exactly sure how it works. What we do know however is that Bankai drastically increases a Shinigami's power. Before Captain Hitsugaya obtained Bankai, he was more powerful than myself or Momo, but not so far beyond as he currently is. When he obtained Bankai however, his powers were vastly increased. In his Shikai, he's probably over twice as powerful as we are, and in Bankai well over eight times as powerful. That is why there is such a difference between a Captain and a Vice-captain. Bankai pushes a Shinigami beyond what was previously imaginable to them."

"Do you have Bankai?" Karin asked. Again Matsumoto laughed.

"No, I'm not powerful enough yet. Maybe someday, but not any time soon. Bankai takes a lot of special training in addition to a ton of experience and power. A powerful Shinigami normally can't obtain Bankai in less than a hundred years. Even Captain Hitsugaya took forty years before he was able to achieve it."

"Wow, there's so much stuff I have to learn," Karin said in amazement, eager to learn more even as she anxiously waited to see her brother, "Can you tell me more about Shinigami?"

"Sure, of course I can," Rangiku said with a smile.

---

"Yuzu?" Ichigo said quietly, cracking the door to Yuzu's room open.

"Y-yes?" Yuzu sniffled.

"It's me," Ichigo said.

"I know…what is it?" Yuzu asked. She was in Karin's bed, hugging onto a pillow and crying, as she had been ever since Karin died.

"Do you want to talk?" Ichigo asked.

"I-I don't know," Yuzu sobbed, "I don't know what can really be said. Everything's just… Oh…Karin…" Yuzu began crying harder as she thought of her sister, and Ichigo walked over and carefully sat down next to her. He put a hand on her head, hoping to comfort her. It didn't work. Yuzu continued to cry.

"Yuzu, I'm really sorry," Ichigo said quietly.

"W-why?" Yuzu asked.

"I don't know…" Ichigo said, "I just…don't know." Yuzu cried more, and Ichigo sighed. "Please don't cry Yuzu."

"How…how can I not cry?" Yuzu whimpered, "Karin was…Karin was my twin sister! She was the closest person in the world to me! How…how can she be dead? It's not fair!"

"I know Yuzu," Ichigo said.

"Why did it have to happen to her? What did she do?" Yuzu cried.

"I don't know," Ichigo said again, "Sometimes these things don't make sense."

"Ichigo…you see ghosts, right? Do you…do you think Karin is happy as a ghost?" Yuzu asked. Ichigo paused at this question, not wanting to reveal too much.

"Yes, I'm sure that wherever she is, she's happy," he finally said, "But I think she'd be happier if she knew you were happy too. She wouldn't want to see you miserable like this."

"I…I know Ichigo," Yuzu sniffled, a small smile on her face, "I g-guess that I should stop crying soon. If Karin was here she'd scold me for making you worry about me."

"Be strong Yuzu, I know you can go on," Ichigo said, putting a hand on her shoulder before standing and walking out of the room.

When he walked out into the hall, Rukia was already there..

"Are you ready to go Ichigo?" Rukia asked. Ichigo nodded. He had already asked Uryuu and Sado to keep an eye on his family while he was gone, so with his talk to Yuzu, he was completely ready to leave for Soul Society. Rukia led him outside, where Ichigo knew a Senkai gate waited for them.

---

Momo Hinamori sighed as she flipped through the pages of her book. Whenever she felt like she had too much on her mind, she'd always pick up a book to make herself think of other things. Today however, she could not manage to divert her thoughts. Kurosaki was coming back, and was very likely going to become Captain. When he had left, she felt a faint glimmer of hope for her own prospects, but that hope had been smothered between the Captains' earlier ruling and Ichigo's return.

She was immensely surprised when she found out that Karin, the girl she and Izuru had smuggled into Seireitei, was none other than Ichigo's recently deceased sister. She supposed that she was lucky about that, as if she had not been the sister of the Shinigami Representative, both she and Izuru would have been arrested and punished for breaking the law. Soi Fon had not been too happy about letting them go, but eventually relented.

Momo wondered what would become of Karin, but tried to push the thought from her mind. The girl was none of Momo's concern. There was no point in further cluttering her mind with thoughts of Karin. All that really mattered to her about this incident was that it resulted in Ichigo's return.

Momo felt rather depressed. She didn't know why she had allowed herself to get her hopes so high. She knew all along that she probably would never become a Captain. Yet still she had trained relentlessly in hopes of becoming Captain and allowed her dreams to overtake her knowledge of the realities of the situation. The cold truth was that she wasn't really qualified to be Captain, and probably never would be. She wasn't powerful enough. Even if she reached Bankai, she still would probably be far weaker than the other Captains. She may be able to compete with the Captains when it came to Kido, but her skills with shunpo, swordsmanship, and physical combat were only at average Vice-captain level. Renji and Izuru were both better than her in those skill sets.

Momo also questioned if she really had the capability to deal with the responsibility of Captainship, or if she even deserved it. She had less than ideal motives for desiring the position. While she did want to serve Soul Society and the Gotei 13, more prominent in her mind was the desire to be respected, both by Toushiro and the Shinigami as a whole. She supposed that at the root of this was her overall desire to forge her own position in existence.

Momo often wondered who she was. There were times that she herself did not know what she was really like. If you had asked those around her years earlier to describe her, they probably would describe her as Aizen's subordinate, Toushiro Hitsugaya's friend, Vice-captain of the Fifth Division, or that sweet, innocent girl who was kind to all and hated fighting. Well obviously she was no longer Aizen's subordinate. Her friendship with Toushiro had been shattered by a combination of jealousy, mutual failure to acknowledge the other, and her betrayal of him while she was under Aizen's influence. She felt like she couldn't face her subordinates after the physical and emotional weakness that she had shown following Aizen's betrayal, to the point that her rank was meaningless except as an administrative position. As for the innocent girl people knew her as, Momo was beginning to think that this part of her ended even before Aizen had broken her. She was a Shinigami, and Shinigami were not innocent. She saw and dealt with death for many years, to the point of becoming desensitized to it. Even if she was kind and didn't like to fight, she couldn't truly be called innocent back then. Aizen's manipulation and attempt on her life of course took away the innocence she had left. Thus, she was left with almost nothing to define herself by. She felt unsure about her place in the world. She had hoped that perhaps becoming Captain would give her the chance to define herself, but that hope seemed far off and distant.

She glanced over the book she held for a little longer before setting it down, giving up all attempts of thinking about other things. She ran a hand through her chocolate brown hair, tiredly trying to remember the last time life had not seemed so confusing. It had certainly been a long time, and she could only hope that eventually things would work out.

---

"Ichigo Kurosaki, welcome back to Soul Society," Yamamoto said in his booming voice. He held his cane in front of him, and was flanked by Juushiro Ukitake, Byakuya Kuchiki, and Soi Fon. They stood in Yamamoto's office at the First Division headquarters, where Ichigo had been taken upon arriving in Soul Society.

"Where is Karin?" Ichigo asked, not bothering with niceties or small talk.

"Your sister is safe. She is currently staying with Vice-captain Matsumoto," Ukitake said.

"When can I see her?" Ichigo said, trying to hurry the Captains with whatever they had in mind.

"I'm afraid not; not yet," Yamamoto said.

"Why not?" Ichigo said tensely.

"We need to make some arrangements regarding your position as Captain," said Soi Fon.

"This isn't the time to talk about that!" Ichigo said angrily, "I need to see my sister, we can talk about the stupid Captaincy later!"

"Unfortunately it's not that simple," Bykuya said, "By allowing Karin Kurosaki here in Seireitei, we are already breaching protocol. Unless you agree to become Captain, it will be impossible for her to remain in Seireitei."

"What? That's insane!" Ichigo yelled.

"Please understand that these are simply the rules," Yamamoto said, "Ordinary souls from Rukongai are ordinarily not permitted to live in Seireitei. Even if you agree to become Captain, special arrangements will have to be made. If you do not agree to become Captain, then there is no point in you even seeing her."

"Why not? Why wouldn't I be able to see her?" Ichigo demanded.

"She wouldn't be able to stay here if you did not agree to fill the empty Captain seat," Soi Fon said, "It would be cruel to both of you to simply visit her this one time and then be forced apart again. It's easier to simply not allow you to see one another at all."

"That's ridiculous! The entire reason that I left was because I ended up abandoning my family by serving as Captain! Now you're giving me two choices, both of which will force me to lose my connections with family and friends! You're forcing me to make an unfair choice!"

"Ichigo," Ukitake said calmly, "You still have a ways to go before you would actually become Captain. If you could just act as Captain for a while, we may be able to reach a compromise. We can figure something out if you just spend some time here. We won't force you to abandon your family in the world of the living, we only ask that you spend time working as Captain. Consider it a trial run. At the very least, you'll be able to see your sister for several months and be able to make arrangements for her. What do you say?" Ichigo sighed.

"What type of arrangements would be made for Karin?" he asked.

"Well there are several options," Ukitake explained, "We might be able to find her a place to live on her own in Seireitei, though seeing as we can't spare anyone to look after her, it may be difficult. We could find her a place in Rukongai just outside the gates, in a good neighborhood where she'll be able to visit. Another option is the possibility of her enrolling in the Shinigami Academy. She'd be able to stay in the dorms for six years, after which she could eventually become a Shinigami and live in Seireitei. She seems to have enough reiatsu, so I can easily see her being accepted."

"I don't like that idea," Ichigo said, "I don't want her being placed in harm's way. I don't want her to end up living alone either, be it in Seireitei or Rukongai. Are there any other ways?"

"Well there is one," Ukitake said, "Captain Kuchiki has offered to adopt Karin into the Kuchiki family."

Ichigo stared at Byakuya dumbfounded. He couldn't believe that Byakuya of all people would make such an offer.

"Seriously?" he asked. Byakuya nodded.

"Indeed. It was upon Rukia's request that I considered this. I'll have to convince the clan elders to accept her, and the process is a long one, but I owe you a great debt Ichigo Kurosaki, and I feel I have little choice but to make this offer."

"For the time being, I think it best that Karin stay with Vice-captain Matsumoto," Ukitake said.

"Indeed," Yamamoto said, "So what do you say Ichigo Kurosaki? Will you cooperate with us in filling the position of Fifth Division Captain?" Ichigo gulped, thinking the matter over.

"Very well then," he finally said, "Now please, let me see Karin."

---

Toushiro Hitsugaya swung Hyourinmaru, releasing a massive blast of ice and water. The hollows before him were hit with the blast, and immediately froze, shattering to pieces moments later. Immediately afterwards however, several more hollow came at him. They were identical, and looked like spiders. They were small, and fairly weak, but they attacked in such huge numbers that they posed enough of a threat to warrant a Shinigami Captain coming to exterminate them. He was currently in their lair, a cave that had more and more of the spider-like hollows crawling out of the depths.

Suddenly there was a buzzing noise. He looked down and saw that the communicator clipped to his collar was receiving an incoming message. He reached his left hand up and clicked a button on it, still fighting off the spider hollow.

"Captain Hitsugaya answering, what is it?" he asked, swinging his sword at a hollow.

"_Hi Captaaaaaaaiiiiiiin!"_

"Matsumoto? Get off this frequency! I am only supposed to be contacted in emergencies!" Toushiro growled, kicking a spider hollow that had tried to sneak up behind him.

"_Oh it is; I have some really exciting news!"_

"Tell me later!" Toushiro yelled, "I'm very busy right now!"

"_Awwwwwww, don't be such a grumpy-pants, Captain!"_

There was suddenly a large roar, and Toushiro's eyes widened as he saw a massive version of the spider hollows the size of a house approaching.

"Oh Shit," he muttered, "Matsumoto, I'm going now. Do NOT call me again!" He shut off the communicator and charged the giant hollow just as it began to attack.

---

"Captain? Captain!" Matsumoto whined, "Oh that meanie! He's ignoring me again!"

"Maybe he has a good reason for it," Karin said. They had been sitting around for several hours, and while their talk was interesting, it could not block out Karin's desire to see her brother.

"I'm sure he'll be really happy to see that you're here! He felt guilty about having to send you off earlier than you wanted," Matsumoto said.

"That's okay," Karin said, not feeling in as much of a talkative mood as earlier. She stared at the door tensely, awaiting the arrival of her brother.

When the long awaited knock on the door, Karin had dashed over before Matsumoto could even stand up. She threw the door open and gave a cry of join upon seeing her brother standing in the doorway.

"Ichi-nii!"

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to blackwitchkarma, war90, Thunder Claw03, Photophopic, .fire333, Chillis, LuvleeCookieChan, DW64, The Great Pinapple MEKI, Hinata-cutie, DD, Psyco101, Yemi Hikari, and ocean81g for reviewing! Please review! I really appreciate the feedback all of you give me!


	9. Chapter 9

* * *

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter Nine_

"Ichi-nii!" Karin cried, running to her brother and embracing him.

"Karin, I can still hardly believe it. I was sure I'd never see you again," Ichigo said, hugging his younger sister.

"Oh Ichigo, I'm so glad that you came!" Karin said tearfully, "I was so certain that I'd never see you again! I just felt like…Oh Ichigo I just…I don't know what to say right now!"

"You're safe, that's all that matters to me," Ichigo replied.

"I don't know what to say, but I have so much to tell you!" Karin said, "I just don't know where to begin!"

"Well I'm more than willing to listen. Just hearing your voice makes me very happy."

Karin smiled and began telling him about everything, from her death to being sent to Soul Society to coming to Seireitei. She explained how she had been taken into a new 'family' and what she had been doing while there. She spoke of the hollow attack and how Momo and Izuru had saved her, and how later they had snuck her into Seireitei.

"Hinamori and Kira, eh? I'm going to have to thank those two," Ichigo said.

"Um, Ichigo, can I ask you a question?" Karin asked.

"Sure. What is it?"

"What's going to happen to me?" Karin asked. Ichigo took a deep breath.

"I made a deal with the Captain-Commander. I'm staying here to complete the Captain's training, and in exchange, you'll be allowed to stay. You'll still be living here for a while, but that's only temporary," Ichigo said.

"I like it here, I'm fine with staying. Rangiku is a lot of fun," Karin said.

"Yeah, but it's not practical for you to just live here the rest of your afterlife. Now listen, Byakuya Kuchiki has offered to adopt you into the Kuchiki family if he can arrange it. It's a good deal, and I think-"

"I don't want to," Karin said, "I'm a Kurosaki, not a Kuchiki."

"They're a very wealthy family, one of the most influential in Seireitei. They'll be able to take good care of you and keep you safe. Byakuya is a bit of a snob, but I think you'd like it there."

"No, it's just not me. I couldn't handle living in some noble family. I'm not cut out for it. It would be too restrictive of my personal life anyways."

"You shouldn't be worrying about that," Ichigo said, "We need to figure out a place for you and this is the best option."

"And what if I say no?" Karin asked.

"Karin, don't do this, not when we've only just met again," Ichigo said wearily.

"You said that it was the best option. What are the other options? I want to hear all of them," Karin said assertively.

"If you really must know, the other options were for you to stay in Rukongai's First District or to go to the Shinigami Academy and then join one of the divisions, but as I said, it's really the best option to-"

"I want that last one you mentioned," Karin said, "I want to be a Shinigami."

"What?!" Ichigo said in surprise, "Why would you want to do that?"

"Do you really have to ask? I want to be as powerful as you Shinigami! You're all so amazing, and I want to learn to be one of you! Besides, it will give me something to do while I'm here."

"Being a Shinigami isn't a game Karin," Ichigo said, "It takes a lot of commitment and is a dangerous job."

"I know! That just makes the idea even more exciting!" Karin said, "You probably think I'm just being a dumb kid, but I really mean it! Rangiku told me all about Shinigami, and I'm more excited than ever after having heard what she said!" Ichigo glared at Rangiku across the room, causing her to shrink back with a nervous smile.

"The Shinigami Academy takes six years to graduate. We don't even know if you have enough power to go there, and even if you do, you're probably too young!" Ichigo reasoned.

"That's not exactly true. Captain Hitsugaya joined the academy at a younger age than her. Well, physically younger that is. Also, I think she's more than powerful enough to get in. She has a pretty decent amount of reiatsu," Rangiku said.

"She's only been here a week, she doesn't understand what she's talking about!" Ichigo said, "She doesn't realize what being a Shinigami entails. It's not all fun and games, it's a serious issue."

"I know that! I'm not stupid Ichigo!" Karin said, "I've thought about it for a long time, and now that the opportunity is right in front of me, I can't just let it slip away!"

"When you're older, I suppose you might be able to, but for the time being, I forbid you to enter the Shinigami academy," Ichigo said sternly. Karin looked at him angrily.

"Forbid me? Who do you think you are?" she said, very upset.

"I'm your older brother, and I'm going to keep you safe. I won't allow you to be in harm's way," he said. Karin's expression softened a little.

"Oh, I see what this is about. Don't worry Ichigo, I have no intention of putting myself in unnecessary danger," she said.

"If you're a Shinigami, you won't be able to avoid danger so easily," Ichigo pointed out.

"Well won't I be in danger anyways? Between what Rangiku told me and what I've seen in the past, it looks like hollows will be targeting me for my reiatsu anyways! Why not learn to defend myself at least?" Karin said.

"I…I'm not sure, but-but you can't…I mean…" Ichigo stuttered for a moment, unsure what to say.

"I have a suggestion," Rangiku said from across the room, "Why don't you let me teach her a few things. I can show her how to suppress her reiatsu and how to evade hollows. Nothing too serious, just basic stuff."

"That works!" Karin said. Ichigo was quiet for a moment before sighing.

"Fine. If you promise me that you'll stay safe and won't push this issue further, I'll let you do some basic training with her. Will you accept that Karin?" he asked.

"Sure," Karin said. Ichigo then turned to Rangiku.

"And do you promise that you'll only teach her the basics and won't get her into anything that will put her in danger?" he asked. Rangiku nodded and smiled brightly.

"I promise!" she said, "Now let's go have some fun! We shouldn't be arguing right now; this is an occasion to celebrate!" She put an arm around both Kurosakis and drew them into a smothering hug. Ichigo and Karin both exchanged a knowing glance as Rangiku smiled brightly.

---

"Woo-hoo! This is some party huh guys?" Rangiku yelled, pounding a half-empty bottle of sake on the table. Ichigo and Karin sat in boredom next to her, and empty bottles were scattered over the table. Her idea of a 'celebration' was to get drunk while they waited for her to tire herself out. Whenever they tried to leave, Rangiku would stop them and drag them back in.

"Hey guys, wanna play another drinking game?" she asked drunkenly.

"For the last time no! Both of us are underage!" Ichigo said.

"Ah, don't be such a hard-ass. Learn to relax and have some fun once in a while!" she slurred, "Lighten up! Okay, so here's the game! Every time we smell sake, we take a drink! In fact I smell sake right now…" Rangiku proceeded to down the rest of the bottle at once, letting out a shrill yell of enjoyment before putting it back down.

"This is a party, huh guys?" she said, "You know Karin, you remind me of this one guy I used to date. I think his name was Millard Fillmore…or maybe James Dean…or Hannibal, I get mixed up with names sometimes…well anyways, you remind me of him, he had hair too. Great guy, but he had a really bad taste in clothes. This one time he was wearing this thing but I forgot what it was but it was bad…he kissed nice though, he has this thing he did with his tongue that went like this...are you watching? Well, anyway we broke up after I found one too many goldfish in my bed. He said I was putting them there when I was drunk but I was like 'No way!' So I kicked him out."

"Are you done yet, we've been here for hours!" Ichigo said irritably.

"No, I'm almost at the best part! You see, then I was…"

They listened to her inane babble, hoping to get away as soon as possible. Out of boredom, Karin curiously picked up a sake bottle and sniffed its contents. She was about to take a drink when Ichigo pulled it from her hands.

"Okay, I think we've been here long enough. Come on Karin, we're needed…somewhere," he said. He stood up and was about to leave when Matsumoto grabbed onto the backs of their clothes to hold them back."

"Don't go guys! Come on! Don't leave me alone man, I love you guys! Stay just a bit more!" she whined.

Ichigo was about to turn to yell at her but when he turned he saw that she was now fast asleep. Ichigo rolled his eyes, and was about to sit down when there was a knock at the door. He slowly walked over and opened the door.

"Hello Kurosaki."

"Toushiro!" Karin yelled, running past Ichigo to tightly hug the white haired Captain, "I'm glad to see you, I was hoping I might get the chance!"

"Let go of me. I don't do hugs," he said irritably. Karin immediately let him go, leaving him to straighten out his uniform.

"Sorry," she said, slightly embarrassed, "I'm just really happy to see another familiar face. You know I don't usually do things like that."

"I suppose I'd might as well believe you," he said as he grumpily smoothed out his haori, "Now on to business, I've been sent to request that Ichigo Kurosaki go to the Fifth Division. They want you to stay there for further Captain's training. There's a lot you don't know about Soul Society and the Gotei 13, so the process to make you Captain will take a lot longer than usual. You'll need to resume your training right away."

"Very well then," Ichigo said tiredly, "I suppose I'd better go. Karin, can you handle yourself here?" Karin nodded.

"Yes, as long as you come back to visit, I'm fine," she said.

"Good," Ichigo replied, turning and walking out. He shunpoed away after exiting the door. Toushiro turned to leave as well, but Karin reached out a hand to stop him.

"Don't you think you could stay a while?" she asked, "It sounded like you were just in a battle, can I hear the details."

"No," he said flatly.

"Oh come on!"

"It's nothing important, just a routine elimination of a bunch of run-of-the-mill hollows. There's nothing to tell."

"You're just as grumpy as ever," Karin noted with a small smile. Toushiro rolled his eyes and walked out, shunpoing away moments later.

For a few minutes, everything was quiet.

"Are they gone?" Rangiku murmured.

"Yeah, they just left," Karin said. Rangiku opened her eyes and sat up.

"Phew. Thanks! I thought I was a goner when I sensed the Captain approaching! He hates when I drink too much." Karin noticed that Rangiku seemed considerably less drunk than before, despite the large amount of sake she had consumed.

"No problem," Karin said.

"So, you ready to begin your training?" she asked.

"Now? Sure, I guess we'd might as well…" Karin said.

"What's with that glum tone I hear in your voice?" Rangiku said.

"Sorry, it's just that with Ichigo making us limit it to the most basic things, it takes a lot of the enthusiasm out of the prospect," Karin said.

"Well maybe we could do a few extra things beyond the basics. I know Ichigo wants me to just teach you basic reiatsu control, but I'm sure he'd forgive us if I taught you a little bit of sword combat and Kido. Does that sound fun?" Rangiku said with a wink.

"Well yeah it does, but we promised Ichigo not to," Karin said.

"Well I had my fingers crossed," Rangiku said brightly, "Now if you'll excuse me, it's time for my nap."

"I thought you said we were going to begin training!"

"_After_ my nap. Naps always come first," Rangiku said, standing up and wobbling over in the direction of her room, "Don't worry, I'm just going to sleep for a few hours, and then, I'll totally be ready!" Karin rolled her eyes, but could not help but smile a little.

---

Momo stood in front of a straw dummy, her zanpakuto held up in an aggressive stance. Her feet were spread out and her knees bent, and she circled around the dummy as she would an enemy. She made a short, reserved slash forward, quickly bringing the blade back. She began retreating only to make a slash at the side of the dummy moments later, following up by pivoting on her feet to put herself behind the dummy, at which point she thrust her zanpakuto forward through the upper back of the dummy, sending bits of straw everywhere. Just as she sheathed her sword, she heard someone clapping behind her.

"Very nice work Momo."

Momo turned to see Ichigo Kurosaki standing behind her. Though she knew he would be arriving soon, she didn't expect to find him here in the Fifth Division training grounds. She was quiet for a moment before speaking.

"I would prefer that you address me properly," she said coolly. As in the past, she found herself disapproving of the way her future Captain acted.

"Sorry. Nice work, _Vice-captain Hinamori_," Ichigo said, "I see that you're continuing with your training."

"This is barely even training. More recreation than anything," Momo said.

"Are you going to argue with everything I say?" Ichigo asked, a slight smirk on his face.

"My apologies," Momo said with a small bow.

"No need for that, I understand," Ichigo said, "Now if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to request that you come with me."

"For what?" Momo asked.

"My Captain's training. Now that I've abandoned it once they're making me go through extra training, and I need your help to get through it."

"You really mean that? You need _my_ help?" Momo asked.

"Of course. You're the Vice-captain of the Fifth Division, but more importantly, you're the person I know I can trust to help me out with this. You're smart enough, skilled enough, and dedicated enough. So what do you say, will you help me out?" Ichigo said. Momo could not help but smile at Ichigo's praise, and despite her reservations about Ichigo, silently nodded in agreement.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to blackwitchkarma, Chillis, war90, Yemi Hikari, .fire333, Thunder Claw03, Photophopic, and Taeniae for reviewing! Not a lot of action this chapter, I know, but hopefully you still enjoyed it. Please review!


	10. Chapter 10

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 10_

"So are you ready for your special elite Shinigami training?" Rangiku asked.

"Yes! Of course!" Karin said excitedly. It had been several days since they originally planned to begin, but due to a combination of extra work, changing schedules, and overdrinking by Rangiku, they didn't have the chance until now.

"Okay then! I'm not sure where to really begin, so I guess the best point to start is spirit energy. I've explained the basic premise to you before, so tell me what you remember, and we'll start from there."

"Okay, spirit energy…" Karin said thinking back to the conversations she'd had with Rangiku, "Spiritual energy, or Reiryoku, is what gives Shinigami their power. It is the energy stored within their bodies and determines how powerful they are. Spiritual energy that is controlled and usable is called reiatsu, or spiritual pressure. Reiatsu can be considered the 'refined' form of spirit energy. Is that right?"

"That is correct," Rangiku said, "Spirit energy is the source of our power, and reiatsu is the power we're able to use. That's one of the core aspects of Shinigami training, the strengthening and focusing of reiatsu. A person with extremely high spirit energy is unable to do much good if he is unable to control it. If they don't obtain control over their reiatsu, their power level spikes and dips from time to time, making them unreliable in battle. People with high spirit energy, like your brother, also have high reiatsu, if only for the simple fact that they have so much power that it is constantly emitted. However, as I said before, this is disadvantageous, as without control a large amount of reiatsu is wasted."

"So how do you train to control it?" Karin asked.

"The main focus is controlling it, but in your case, it's probably best to think of tapping into it before you try that. Some people naturally release reiatsu, but others have to work at it. I'm sure that you have spirit power, given the fact that you were able to see Shinigami and hollows while human, we just need to work at unlocking that power. You already leak a bit of it, but to be able to consciously control your reiatsu, you'll need access to more of it. Too much or too little makes reiatsu difficult to control properly."

"So how do I do that?" Karin asked.

"Well, it's not that hard. You already release a bit without realizing it. For starters, think about how you released it in the past."

"But I didn't release it in the past," Karin said, "You said yourself that I only released it subconsciously."

"Think back carefully," Rangiku repeated, "Do you remember anything strange happening when you were involved in situations with spirit beings?" Karin thought about it carefully. She couldn't recall anything unusual from the times she had been involved with hollows or Shinigami, just...

"Headaches!" Karin said suddenly, only just remembering, "I used to get headaches whenever I was around hollows! I'd get all sick and everything!" Rangiku nodded.

"That was the result of your body experiencing a hollow's reiatsu. Since you weren't emitting any significant reiatsu of your own, yet were still able to perceive spirit beings, the reiatsu of the hollows made you sick. Tell me, how did you get rid of the headaches?" she said.

"I don't know, they just faded when the hollows were gone," Karin explained, "There really wasn't anything I did to stop them."

"Are you sure? Wasn't there anything that you did that relieved the headaches?"

"I tried medicine and tea and rest, but nothing did much good until the hollows were gone," Karin said, "Sometimes I would imagine things that made me feel better, but that was just my imagination taking my mind off of it."

"Really? Do you think you could think those sorts of thoughts again?" Rangiku said gently. Karin was confused by this request, but nodded.

"Um, sure, I suppose so…" she said. She closed her eyes and thought back to the things she had thought of in her head whenever there was a hollow around. It hadn't been anything meaningful, just things she thought of to help ignore the headaches. She thought back to what she had imagined those times. Suddenly Rangiku let out of shriek of delight, causing her to jump.

"Karin! That's it!" she said excitedly.

"What's it?" Karin asked, more confused than ever.

"I just felt your spiritual pressure fluctuate! That must be it! You instinctively released your reiatsu to push back that of the hollows! And you can replicate it now! What was it that you thought of when you were getting rid of your headaches?" Rangiku asked.

"I imagined using an old water pump. It made me feel like I was pumping away the headaches and the bad feelings," Karin explained.

"That must be your trigger. Different people experience tapping into their reiatsu different ways. We visualize this in various ways, usually things that we are familiar with. Water seems to be a frequent theme for people's imagining of their reiatsu and spirit energy. Your brother's release of reiatsu has been described as a tap gushing out water. I personally feel the release of my spirit energy as feeling like a pot of boiling water turning into steam. Captain Hitsugaya's is like a constantly expanding block of ice. There are others too of course. Izuru Kira has described his spirit energy as heavy lead being unloaded, Captain-commander Yamamoto's reiatsu is like a burning firestorm, and Momo Hinamori says hers is like a sort of plasma. It's all a matter of how we personally describe the feeling of our reiatsu being released. The same can be said of controlling and focusing it."

"Wow, all of this information is interesting, but you're kind of losing me," Karin said. Rangiku smiled.

"Very well then," she said, "Just try this and you'll see what I mean. Imagine that you're pumping out the water like you did before, only this time, really, really focus on it!"

"Okay then…" Karin said uncertainly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She imagined an old fashioned hand-operated water pump. Focusing carefully on it, she imagined herself pumping it, and the water coming out. The pump gave resistance, but as she did it more and more, building up a rhythm, the feeling became easier. As she did this, she began to feel funny, like she wasn't pumping water out of the well, but from herself. It felt like the water she was pumping was being released into her body and then expelled through her pores. It was an odd feeling, but she didn't stop. As she became more and more used to the imaginary pumping, she decided to try something. She imagined the water filling her being held back, prevented from leaving her. Almost as soon as she did so, she felt immense pressure building up. Within moments, the imaginary walls she had built within her had collapsed, leaving the water gushing out.

"That was great Karin!"

Karin gave a start, remembering where she really was. She had been so engrossed in her thoughts, that she had nearly forgotten the reason why she was doing it.

"What happened?" she asked in confusion.

"You did it; you successfully tapped into your spiritual energy and turned it into reiatsu! I sensed you trying to control it too. I never would have imagined that you would be able to succeed so quickly!" Rangiku said.

"But I didn't do anything, I just imagined…" she trailed off, her eyes wide.

"That's right," Rangiku said, "What you were imagining was just a way for your mind to think of the process by which you tap into your spirit energy and release reiatsu. Eventually, you'll be able to do that without even thinking about it! Now, onto the next stage."

"Isn't it a little soon? I only just got to this part," Karin said. Rangiku waved a hand dismissively.

"After you've shown yourself able to release it at all, you'd might as well move onto the next stage and practice both at the same time. Besides, I can tell that you're a quick learner," she said.

"Well okay, if you're sure," Karin said. She personally felt that this was going way too fast, but Rangiku seemed to know what she was doing.

"Okay, this step will be a lot harder. You've shown that you can release reiatsu, but right now it's just being released loosely in all directions. Next we're going to work on how to direct reiatsu. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand," Karin said. Rangiku nodded.

"Alright then! Let us begin…"

---

"No, that file goes over there! That cabinet is meant for storing the records for the Shinigami in our division," Momo said.

"Understood. Sorry for the mix-up," Ichigo said.

"You should be stronger in the way you present yourself to subordinates," Momo chided, "If you give the impression of authority, you won't be able to keep your troops in line."

"Sor… I mean, that's right," Ichigo said, correcting himself. Momo nodded in satisfaction. He still frustrated her at times, but Ichigo was getting better. She still had a lot to teach him in regard to administrative duties, but the fact that he was improving was obvious.

"Do you remember where I told you to put this week's patrol assignments?" Momo asked.

"Yes. You told me to put them in the drawer so that they'd be within easy reach," he said.

"And do you remember which drawer?"

"Yeah," Ichigo said, though a hint of uncertainty entered his voice.

"Take them out," Momo instructed. Ichigo reached down to the drawers at the side of the desk, hesitating for a moment before opening the bottom drawer. There were no files in it however, only a stack of spare paper and some writing instruments. Momo crossed her arms and Ichigo immediately shut the drawer and opened the one above it, revealing the necessary documents.

"Here they are," he said, trying to sound confident. Momo did not answer, continuing to give him a stern look.

"Oh come on, it was just a minor mistake!" Ichigo said.

"A minor mistake can cost a Captain his life, or worse, the lives of his subordinates," Momo said, "Being Captain is a huge responsibility. You must dedicate your life to it."

"I know, I know," Ichigo said, "You've told me all of this before. Believe me, I really am trying." Momo sighed.

"Fine, I'll believe you," she said tiredly, "Just…try to focus more. Until you're officially promoted, I'm still acting-Captain of the Fifth Division. When I hand over control to you, I need to know that you can handle everything properly, from paperwork to organization to leadership."

"You really care about this Division, don't you?" Ichigo said. Momo fidgeted with her hands a little before answering.

"I originally came to the Fifth Division because of Ai…Ai…" she stuttered, unable to bring up the name of her treacherous former Captain. "Because of _him_," she finally said, "I was naïve at the time, I didn't understand what a huge responsibility being a Shinigami was. I mean, I knew all of our duties and responsibilities thanks to the Academy, but nothing can really prepare you for the weight of that responsibility. The realization that you are a Shinigami, a god of death, it just really hits you hard. At first it wasn't that hard thanks to my friends and…the Captain making it a more comfortable setting. But as I advanced in rank and as my friends grew more distant, the weight of everything really hit me. Then with…well, you know, I found everything I thought I knew taken away from me. My Captain abandoned me, I betrayed my friends, and I was made to look weak and foolish for all of Seireitei to see. When I woke up from…_that_, I almost didn't want to resume my post. I was sure that none of my subordinates would respect me. I was supposed to be a leader, yet by the end, I was in an absolutely pitiful state and had made myself look like an emotionally crazed fool. But despite all this, they didn't abandon me. They supported me and still showed me respect. I still have a lot of issues to work out, I know, but I know that it is my duty to serve and protect this division, and I will absolutely dedicate myself to that."

Ichigo listened to her as she spoke. He was beginning to understand her.

"Are you upset that I will be replacing you as leader of this Division?" he asked. Momo seemed to be taken by surprise.

"N-no! Of course not! Haven't we already discussed this before? I know I could never become Captain, why would I be upset at you becoming Captain instead?" she hastily said.

"Well, I know I probably don't seem that bright or dedicated to you, but I promise that I will do everything I can to take good care of this division, so you needn't worry about that," he said. Momo shifted her eyes away nervously, unsure what to say. She suddenly took a sharp intake of breath when she felt Ichigo's hand on her head.

"You're a strong girl. I don't know the exact nature of all your problems, but I think you can handle them," he said, patting her on the head. Momo's cheeks turned pink at this, but she didn't do anything to stop him.

"Well…I think I'd better go do an inspection of the barracks," Momo finally said, "You…you should just stay here and deal with any incoming work."

"You'd trust me with that?" Ichigo said with a small smile.

"Yes, I guess so," she said, "Oh! And I almost forgot, I brought you some books to read." She ran over to a bag leaning against the wall and pulled out several thick books, setting them on the desk. "They're guides for leading troops in battle. That is valuable information for a Captain to know. I also have a book on the history of Seireitei that I'd like you to read at some point. Well, bye then!" She ran off, leaving Ichigo behind.

---

Karin grunted and growled as she gripped the glass orb with both hands. She tried as hard as she could to focus her reiatsu into it, but it just seemed to keep on leaking randomly from her body. Rangiku had given it to her and told her to try to focus her reiatsu into the orb. As Rangiku said before, this was much more difficult than simply tapping into her spirit power.

"You don't need to squeeze it, just do your best to focus with your mind," Rangiku coached.

"Yes, I know!" Karin said irritably. They had been trying to do this for quite some time, and it was getting frustrating. Not only was the reiatsu she produced difficult to direct, it felt impossible to force it out in a single area. To complicate things, she still had to imagine herself pumping water while simultaneously trying to focus the direction of her reiatsu. Rangiku had told her that tapping into reiatsu would soon become natural instinct and that she wouldn't have to imagine things like that, but Karin didn't feel like that time would come soon.

"Just relax and focus," Rangiku said, "Relax, and focus…" Karin tried this but it didn't work. The reiatsu inside her just seemed to float around randomly, releasing itself just as randomly.

"Do you think you could show me again?" Karin finally said.

"Sure," Rangiku replied. She took the glass orb and held it in her hands. Almost immediately, it lit up with a bright white light and seemed to fill up with smoke for a moment. She handed it back to Karin almost immediately. "You have to find a method that works well for yourself. What works for me would only frustrate you. Manipulating and controlling reiatsu is a tough skill to learn, you won't get it right away."

"Yeah, I know," Karin said tiredly. She tightly held the orb again, focusing with all her might. She held her breath and clenched her teeth as she tried to force the reiatsu swirling around inside of her into the orb. She could feel some of it slowly travelling down her arms, and she urged on further.

Suddenly, just for a moment, the orb lit up with a bright blue flash. It flickered like an old lightbulb for a moment before going out. Karin nearly collapsed from exhaustion. She panted heavily, her face red from the effort.

"That was good Karin! It was a small step, but you're definitely improving!" Rangiku said encouragingly.

"Th-thanks, but it wasn't really anything. I could only do it for a moment. I'd…better try again," Karin said.

"No," Rangiku said, taking away the orb, "You need to rest a while before we train more."

Karin almost protested but found herself too tired to speak. Deciding that Rangiku was right, she leaned back to rest. It was several minutes before she spoke again, but in her tiredness, she didn't speak of training, but of something else on her mind.

"Rangiku, do you think I'll ever become a Shinigami?" she asked.

"I suppose so," Rangiku said, "In fact, if you dedicate yourself to it, I'm sure you can!"

"And if I'm a Shinigami…I'd be going on trips to the real world?" Karin asked again.

"Yes, most Shinigami go to the World of the Living at some point," Rangiku said.

"So…if I were to become a Shinigami and go to the World of the Living, do you think that I might be able to see my dad and sister?"

"Oh…" Rangiku said, realizing why she had been asking those questions, "I…it's hard to…you see…"

"Please be honest. I really need to know," Karin said seriously. Rangiku sighed.

"I doubt it. Interactions between Shinigami and living beings is strictly prohibited except on missions requiring it. You wouldn't be able to just visit them, they'd never permit it. You'd probably never even be assigned to an area you lived in while you were alive. I'm really sorry Karin, but chances are you won't see your real family again, at least not for a very long time."

"I…I see…" Karin said quietly. Rangiku looked at her sympathetically.

"Are you okay?" she asked gently.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Karin said, "It's just…there's so much in life that I missed out on. High School, being a teenager, college, a job, maybe even a romance some day, and retirement…just so much to life that I'll never get the chance to experience. I was hoping that I might at least be able to see Yuzu experience those things." Rangiku was startled to see tears coming to Karin's eyes.

"Hey…you want to go on to the next part of our training?" she asked.

"Um, sure…" Karin said, trying to wipe away the tears, "What do we do next?"

"Next I'm going to teach you some physical combat," Rangiku said.

"Okay, that works. I learned some martial arts and I'm in pretty good condition, so I think I can do decently in this," Karin said, glad that there was something else to focus on.

"Yes, well this is a _special_ style; one that I don't think you can stand up against," Rangiku said with a playful smile. She suddenly tackled Karin and grabbed her sides. "Tickle fight!"

"Ra-Rangiku! Stop it!" Karin said, trying to stop laughing and push her off, "Cut it out!"

"If you can out-tickle me, I'll let you go!" Rangiku laughed.

"I-I'm not a little kid! I don't do tickle fights!" Karin said as she laughed, trying to get away.

"You look like a little kid to me!" Rangiku teased.

"Why you!" Karin put up her arms and began tickling Rangiku's stomach. This caused her to lose enough concentration for Karin to flip her over and pin her down. They stared at eachother silently for a moment before both bursting into laughter.

"I knew you'd play along if I said the right things," Rangiku laughed.

"Well, I normally don't," Karin said, trying and failing to stifle her laughter, "I'm not the type of person who plays tickle fight while laughing her head off."

"But laughter feels good, doesn't it?" Rangiku said, "I know you like to be all serious and stuff, but playing around every once in a while is good for you. Don't you feel better now than before?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Thank you, Rangiku," Karin said. Rangiku smiled back for a moment before suddenly pushing her off and starting to tickle her again.

"Haha! You shouldn't have let your guard down!" Rangiku said as they rolled around on the ground laughing.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to Yemi Hikari, Thunder Claw03, Shirochan21, war90, RosieLEK, Hinata-cutie, Reven Firebane, Chillis, Taeniaea, The Great Pinapple MEKI, Photophobic, Ladiie-Angeliie, AmberDawn, and Psyco101 for reviewing! Please review!


	11. Chapter 11

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 11_

Toushiro brought down his blade, slicing a hollow's mask in two. The hollow dissolved into dust. That was the last of them. He walked out of the small cave that he had gone into to clear hollows out of. There had recently been a string of cases where hollows had made dens in Soul Society, and Toushiro had been sent to take them out. He reached for his collar, where there was a small transmitting device.

"Captain Hitsugaya to Seireitei. I just finished off the last of them in this area. They're all weaklings that barely put up a fight. If there are no objections, I intend to return to Seireitei now…yes…yes, very well. I'll get back as soon as I can." Toushiro turned the device off and looked out at the landscape. There didn't seem to be anything unusual here at first glance, but something very odd was going on.

It was rare for hollows to appear in Soul Society, and when they did they were usually fairly powerful, hence why a Captain was dispatched when there was an outbreak of them. But the hollows he defeated were so weak that they could have been handled by an unseated Shinigami. Why were weak hollows suddenly appearing like this when they had never done so before? How were they getting to Soul Society in such large numbers? He would have to find an answer to these questions at a later time. Returning his zanpakuto to its sheath, he turned in the direction of Seireitei and shunpoed off.

---

Renji and Rukia walked through the streets of Seireitei. Renji carried a basket, while Rukia carried a small box.

"Why do we have to do this again?" Renji asked grumpily.

"Because it's a nice thing to do, stupid," Rukia said, "Ichigo hasn't had many chances to visit Karin, so we're going to visit to cheer her up."

"She's been here for two weeks already, she's probably gotten used to things," Renji said.

"Renji, try to think of things from her perspective. She lost her life and was dropped into an unfamiliar world. As if that weren't traumatic enough, she also has to deal with all the issues going on in Seireitei. Dropping by to visit and giving her gifts like this will make her feel more at home," Rukia explained.

"That's not the only reason," Renji said seriously, "Come on, I heard you and Captain Kuchiki talking. I know what this is really about."

"Then why did you ask?" Rukia said.

"Because I was hoping you would give me the full story on your own," Renji said irritably.

"Look, just let me deal with it. Byakuya is going to talk to Ichigo soon anyways, I just thought that it might soften the blow if I were the one who told her," Rukia said.

"I wish you'd be more straightforward with this sort of thing," Renji muttered.

When they arrived at Rangiku Matsumoto's residence where Karin was staying, Rukia tapped Renji on the shoulder.

"Remember to be gentle with her," Rukia said, "The poor girl is probably really depressed from everything that's happened, and our news isn't going to help. Try to be supportive." Rukia knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Rangiku called.

Renji and Rukia walked in to see Rangiku lying on top of Karin on the couch.

"Oh, hi guys! What brings you here?" she said innocently. Karin managed to turn her head towards them and yell out to them.

"Don't just stand there! Get her off of me!" she gasped.

"This is important combat training! You can't quit now!" Rangiku laughed. Renji and Rukia stared blankly at them as Karin squirmed her way out from underneath Matsumoto, managing to grab a nearby pillow and whack Rangiku over the head with it, freeing herself.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that!" Rangiku said playfully.

"Bring it on!" Karin laughed, brandishing the pillow. Grinning, Rangiku suddenly pulled off a sheet covering the couch and quickly covered Karin in it, wrapping her up.

"I got you!" she said, "Now I'm gonna give you the worst tickling in your life!"

"Oh no you don't!" Karin said as she pulled off the sheet and leapt at Matsumoto, hitting her with the pillow. The two of them laughed as they wrestled around on the couch, with Rukia and Renji watching.

"So much for her being depressed," Renji muttered. Rukia cleared her throat and knocked on the wall, getting their attention.

"Hey guys, are you going to be long? We brought some things over for you," she said. Rangiku and Karin stopped and sat up, blushing a little bit.

"Sorry," Karin said.

"Yeah, we just got a little caught up in the moment," Rangiku laughed.

"Well I'm glad to see that you two are getting along," Rukia said with a smile, "Now if you're interested, we brought over a few things for Karin."

"Really? Thanks!" Karin said, getting up and walking over to them.

"First, Renji brought you this fruit basket," Rukia said, nudging Renji, who then handed Karin the basket, "And I brought you a little present."

She handed the box to Karin, who opened it up to find a soccer ball.

"Do you like it? I know you like soccer, so I figured that this would be an appropriate gift," Rukia said.

"It's great! Where did you find it, haven't seen any real soccer balls the entire time I was here," Karin said.

"My brother acquired it," Rukia said.

"That was nice of him," Karin said. Rukia smiled, but behind that was deep confusion. In the times she had seen Karin at Ichigo's house, she had never been like this. She wasn't quite as much of a brooding person as Ichigo, but she had always been more cynical and tough than cheerful and friendly, and Rukia had never seen her behave in such a manner. Privately, Rukia suspected that her unusually happy attitude was a coping mechanism for the struggles she faced and the sadness she felt. Then again, it was equally possible that Karin simply really was happy, or possibly that Rangiku's personality was rubbing off on her. She had clearly established a close friendship with Rangiku, and the older woman seemed to have settled into a big sister type of role for Karin.

"So are you going to tell them now?" Renji asked.

"Tell us about what?" Karin asked. Rukia glared at Renji.

"You idiot, I was planning on bringing that up when the moment was right!" she growled at him.

"Oh…sorry," Renji said awkwardly.

"What are you two talking about? What happened?" Rangiku said, her voice turning serious. Rukia sighed.

"I wanted to wait for the proper moment to tell you, but I suppose we'd better just say it now," she said, "The Kuchiki elders have refused to allow your adoption into the Kuchiki family."

"What? Why the hell not?" Rangiku said, visibly upset.

"They already bent the rule against taking in outsiders twice with my sister and myself. Byakuya is the head of the family, but he can't overrule a unanimous decision by the elders. I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do. We'll have to find a new justification for Karin to stay in Seireitei. If we don't figure something out, she'll end up being sent to live just outside the walls. It won't be bad there, but keeping her in Seireitei is much preferable," Rukia explained.

"But with Ichigo as a Captain…" Karin said, trailing off.

"He's not a Captain yet, and they can only bend the rules so far for him. After he's been officially promoted, you might get the chance to live in the area of Seireitei for nobles, but you can't stay in domain of the Gotei 13 for long without good reason. Don't worry, we'll figure something out. We just have to think about it."

"I think I have a solution," Rangiku said with a sudden smile, "I've been mulling it over for the past few weeks, but I wasn't sure it would be necessary with the Kuchiki family adopting her. Now that that idea has failed, I think this is the best option. Karin should become a Shinigami."

"What? But she only just arrived in Seireitei! We don't know how great her reiatsu is, she doesn't know enough about Seireitei and Soul Society, and she's too young for that kind of responsibility!" Rukia said.

"Captain Hitsugaya was physically younger than her when he enrolled in the Shinigami academy," Rangiku noted.

"Yeah, but Captain Hitsugaya is one of the most naturally gifted Shinigami in the history of Seireitei, and even he found the transition from the life of a young boy to the life of a Shinigami difficult and stressful! We can't push this sort of thing onto her when she doesn't understand what it means to be a Shinigami!"

"I understand," Karin said, "I understand that it's not just a game, and I still want to do this."

"Look, we don't even know if she's capable of using her powers yet," Rukia said, "Very few people are able to access their powers at such a young age."

"Well she can!" Rangiku said brightly.

"What?" Rukia said in confusion.

"I've been training her in Shinigami skills, and she's already showing progress! She can do it, I know she can!" Rangiku said.

"I thought you were only teaching her the most basic self-defense skills," Renji said.

"That's what we told Ichigo. I've been teaching her reiatsu control, hand-to-hand combat, and swordsmanship."

"You gave her a sword?!" Rukia said in alarm, "Are you trying to get her to lose an arm? You can't just give someone a sword to practice with!"

"Relax, I taught her all about safe handling of swords. She's fine," Rangiku insisted.

"Ichigo's going to have your head for this," Renji said.

"He won't when he sees how much Karin can already do," Rangiku replied, "Karin, show them what we've been working on.

Karin nodded and ran across the room to a small wooden chest. She opened it up and pulled out a glass orb, running back with it. She put her hands on both sides of it and closed her eyes tight in concentration. The ball began to fill with bright blue light that unevenly flashed, flickered and sparked but nevertheless remained in the orb consistently.

"That's good Karin, take a break," Rangiku said. Karin stopped and set the orb down, panting tiredly. Rangiku turned back to Rukia and Renji. "You see? She's making huge progress for such a short period of time."

"I can see that, but this is still a really reckless thing to do," Rukia said disapprovingly.

"It will be worth it," Rangiku said.

"Very well then," Rukia sighed, "I suppose you'll figure out the details. We'd might as well be going now."

"Wait," Rangiku said, "I have a request for you."

"What kind of request?" Rukia asked.

"Karin really wants to see her father and sister again," Rangiku explained.

"Of course she does! When we die, we leave our loved ones behind and establish new lives in Soul Society. It's perfectly natural to feel sad in these sorts of circumstances, but there's nothing that can be done about it," Rukia said.

"I know…but it really means a lot to Karin. I'm going to get right to the point: Can Karin use the Kuchiki Family Senkaimon to go visit her family?"

"What?!" Rukia said in shock. Karin stared at Rangiku in amazement. She had not asked her to request such a thing. In fact, she had only mentioned it once, yet Rangiku had known that Karin wanted to see her family more than anything else, and was now seeking to help her.

"So what do you say? Can you just let her use it just a little bit?" Rangiku said.

"Vice-captain Matsumoto, think about what you're saying! Of course she can't! Aside from being illegal, I don't have access to that on my own!"

"It's really important. If Karin ends up having to leave Seireitei, she'll lose any chance in the future to see her family again. The Kuchiki family's private Senkaimon is not tracked, and she can slip into the living world and back without the higher-ups even knowing! Please?" Rangiku said.

"I'm sorry, I just can't," Rukia said, "I can't access it without Byakuya's permission, and somebody would surely notice even if that weren't the case. It's simply not possible."

"It's okay," Karin said quietly, "I understand. I suppose…I suppose I'll just have to accept that I won't be able to see them again."

"No," Rangiku said, "Karin, I'm going to get you to see your family again."

"Rangiku, don't make promises you can't keep," Renji warned.

"I have every intention of keeping it," Rangiku said firmly.

"How? How are you going to get to the world of the living without being noticed?" Renji asked.

"I had a back-up plan. I knew it was possible that Rukia wouldn't be able to arrange it, so I thought up a back-up plan," Rangiku said, "We just need to find someone who is able to open a Senkaimon themselves without being noticed. Someone who's done it before, someone who's an expert at Kido and can effectively hide themselves and others…" She gave a small wink that made it clear who she was talking about. Renji immediately shook his head.

"No, no, no, that's not going to work," he said, "Momo is going through enough right now, we don't need to add to it."

"Momo?" Karin repeated, "You mean…"

"Yes, the girl who took you to Seireitei," Rangiku said, "She's a master of Kido, and can easily create a Senkaimon and hide its presence. She's done it before, she can do it again."

"That was under exceptional circumstances though," Rukia pointed out, "I don't think she will agree to it easily."

"Perhaps not, but I can be persuasive," Rangiku said with a smile, "Don't worry Karin, I'll get you to the world of the living and allow you to see your father and sister again, I promise."

---

"What?!" Ichigo said in shock.

"I'm sorry. The family elders have refused to bring Karin Kurosaki into the Kuchiki family," Byakuya said.

"But…but how could they?" Ichigo asked. He was standing up behind the desk in the Fifth Division office. Momo Hinamori watched nervously as Ichigo and Byakuya stared at eachother.

"The elders are not willing to adopt a commoner into the family. They already made huge concessions by adopting Hisana and Rukia into the family. They will not do it again. I owe you a great debt, but the same cannot be said of the elders," Byakuya explained.

"So what now?" Ichigo asked, "What will become of Karin?"

"Unfortunately, she will not be able to remain in Seireitei for long. This is a military area; a civilian cannot just live their life here. The arrangement with Vice-captain Matsumoto was only temporary until we could find a more permanent solution."

"But what permanent solution?" Ichigo pressed on.

"Right now, it is most likely that she will be sent to Rukongai's First District to live," Byakuya said.

"We can't just leave her on her own," Ichigo said, "Even if the First District is safer than others, I can't allow her to just be sent off to live on her own."

"I still owe you a debt. I am willing to send off several of my best servants to accompany her should she be sent to Rukongai. She will be kept safe," Byakuya offered.

"Thank you, but I still do not want her sent off like that," Ichigo said, "What other choices are there?"

"Well, one possible option is to wait until you are officially promoted to Captain and persuade one of the lower noble families to adopt her. To them, it would be an honor to adopt the sister of a Captain. Unfortunately, that would mean waiting for your promotion, when we don't know when exactly that will be. You still have much to prove in regards to your competence as a potential Captain, and it could take anywhere from a month to a year. Alternatively, Karin could enroll in the Shinigami Academy. She would stay at the student dormitories for six years, after which she would be eligible to become a Shinigami."

"I don't like either of those ideas much," Ichigo said, "I think I'd better go to the Captain-Commander to negotiate this. The sooner we figure out the details the better."

"Very well, I'll meet you at the First Division Headquarters after you have finished your work for today," Byakuya said, "Judging by what I see before me, that would be about four hours, correct?"

"That is correct, but I am afraid that I cannot wait to finish bureaucratic paperwork. I'm going to talk to the Captain-Commander now," Ichigo said.

"But Ichigo, we still have a lot of work to do!" Momo protested, speaking for the first time in the conversation.

"Sorry, but I can't waste any time. This is more important than simple paperwork. I'll leave the rest of today's work for you," Ichigo said, "Byakuya, if possible I'd like you to accompany me when I go to the Captain-Commander."

"Very well then," Byakuya said. Before they could leave however, Momo ran over and blocked the door.

"You can't do this! It's you duty to watch over the Fifth Division! A Captain can't just abandon their division when they feel like it!" she protested.

"I'm not Captain yet, and like I said, this is more important. I'm sorry, but my mind is made up," Ichigo said, pushing his way past Momo. Byakuya followed silently behind. Momo stared after them, a combination of grief, betrayal, and anger etched across her face. Clenching her fists, she briskly walked back to the desk, taking a seat in the Captain's chair that Ichigo had occupied minutes before.

---

Uryu Ishida fired an arrow of energy. It pierced the hollow and dissolved it into dust. The threat over, Uryu allowed his bow to disappear. He looked around and sighed. That was the only hollow he'd seen in days, yet still he had to constantly spend his time around this area. He had promised Ichigo that he would keep an eye on his family while he was gone. He didn't like doing such a favor for a Shinigami, but he couldn't turn Ichigo down when he requested it. Thus, he spent every day in the neighborhood that contained Ichigo's house, keeping an eye on it and eradicating any hollows that happened to appear. Occasionally Yasutora Sado would take over, but he was the primary one to guard the place from hollows. It was a boring job, but the worst part wasn't the waiting around for hollows, it was…

"Uryu! Why did you run off!"

Uryu groaned and turned around to see Ichigo's little sister, Yuzu, running up to him from behind.

"Come on, it's time for our daily tea party! Yuzu said cheerfully.

"Right…of course it is," Uryu grumbled. Recently, Yuzu had noticed his spending time around their house and had begun inviting him to tea parties. As silly as they were, Uryu could never turn her down. He sighed as Yuzu grabbed his hand and pulled him after her, leading him towards her house.

When they arrived, she promptly took him to her room, where she had already set up her tea party. Cups of tea sat on a short table next to plates of small cookies. Stuffed animals sat around the table, their fake eyes seeming to stare at Uryu. He sat down on the cushion that Yuzu set out for him. It was quite comfortable, which was ironic since this was one of the most uncomfortable situations he had ever been in.

"Ah, I see my daughter and her friend are sitting down for tea!" Isshin Kurosaki said from the doorway.

"Hi Daddy! Would you like to join us for tea?" Yuzu asked.

"I'd love to, but I'm afraid I can't today," he laughed, "You two will just have to have extra fun in place of me!"

"Okay Daddy!"

"Hey Mr. Kurosaki, aren't you at all concerned that your daughter is spending large amounts of time with an older boy?" Uryu asked dryly.

"Hmmmm…no, I can't say I am," he said. Uryu's eyebrow twitched a little.

"I'm turning seventeen in a month, and she's twelve. There's a nearly five year age difference between us. Are you _sure_ you don't want to, I don't know, send me home or something?" Uryu said.

"Your birthday is in only a month?" Isshin said in surprise, ignoring the latter half of the question, "Yuzu, we're going to have to get him a birthday present!"

"You're right Daddy!" Yuzu said, "I'll make sure to get him a great present!"

"Are you _positive_ you don't have any problems with this situation?" Uryu said again.

"Of course not, why would I have a problem with dear Yuzu spending time with her future husband?"

"What?!" Uryu practically yelled.

"I know that you'll take good care of her and give me lots of grandchildren," Isshin said, "Don't worry, I fully approve of your relationship!"

"Thanks Daddy!" Yuzu said.

"Re-relationship? But she- but I'm…She's twelve!!!" Uryu sputtered out.

"Yes, which means when you're twenty, she'll be sixteen, the marriageable age here in Japan. If you get really eager, you can just wait until she reaches the age of consent at thirteen. Just remember that I want lots of grandchildren! Ichigo's too much of a dork to ever be in a serious relationship, so I'm counting on you Yuzu!"

"No problem Daddy! Uryu is a sexy hunk of man!" Yuzu said cheerfully.

"Do you even know what that means?!"

"Well, you kids have fun with your little party!" Isshin chortled, "Oh, and Uryu, I'm counting on you to protect Yuzu for me, okay?" Isshin gave Uryu an oddly knowing wink before closing the door and walking away.

"So Uryu darling, how do you like your tea?" Yuzu asked.

"It's fine," Uryu said irritably.

"I'm glad I met you," Yuzu said, suddenly turning serious, "I…I've been feeling lonely ever since Karin died…" Uryu gulped, unsure what to say.

"I…I'm glad that I could help you," he said awkwardly, "And…I'm sorry for your loss."

"Oh, don't worry about that!" Yuzu said, smiling cheerfully even as she blinked back tears, "I know that Karin is on the other side right now."

"You do?" Uryu asked, uncertain what to make of her statement.

"I know it," Yuzu said strongly, "I'm still really sad of course, but I know that she's definitely still out there, living a new life on the other side."

"How do you know this?" Uryu asked. Yuzu smiled at him.

"I'm not completely blind," she said, "I know what you've been doing. You've been protecting Daddy and I from those monsters, haven't you? You know about the other world, don't you?"

"I…you can see those things?" Uryu asked.

"No, only outlines, and even then its variable, but I know that they're there, and I know that you've been fighting them. So has Ichi-nii. I know you want to keep it a secret and won't want to explain it to me, but I know from what I've seen that there really is another world, and that Karin is there somewhere," Yuzu said, "I'm absolutely positive."

---

"Stupid, stupid, stupid…" Momo muttered as she filled out paperwork. It would have been done already had Ichigo not abandoned his post. She growled as she grabbed a new piece of paperwork. She should have known better than to believe that she could ever look up to him as a Captain. He didn't care about the Fifth Division at all. She was reminded of the initial reason for her dislike of him: his split loyalties. He may have become more useful with paperwork, but it was clear to Momo that nothing significant had changed with him. He still did not understand the importance of his position and still had split loyalties. She could not trust such a man.

"Momo?"

Momo looked up, not even noticing that several people had walked in.

"What is it, what do you want?" she snapped. It was several moments before she recognized the lead figure as Rangiku Matsumoto. Behind her were Rukia Kuchiki, Renji Abarai, and Karin Kurosaki.

"Are you okay?" Rangiku asked in concern.

"Yes…yes I'm fine. Sorry for snapping, it's just…it's been a very stressful day. Very, very stressful," Momo said.

"Well I guess we picked the wrong time to come to make a request," Rangiku said, "Would you like to talk about whatever's bothering you."

"Sure, why not?" Momo shrugged, "It's Kurosaki. He abandoned his post, he abandoned the Fifth Division, and he abandoned me!"

"Surely you're overreacting," Rukia said, "Ichigo wouldn't do that."

"No, he just got up and left in the middle of his work to argue with the Captain-Commander over her," Momo pointed at Karin, "He was supposed to be acting as Captain, but he abandoned his post. Later in the day, there was a minor emergency that I had to deal with, but because he wasn't there, it was much more difficult. I just…I really thought I could trust him. I thought I would be able to look up to him and respect him again. But I was wrong. I guess maybe I just have bad luck with Captains." She gave a short laugh at herself before immediately returning to complete silence.

"Ichigo is hot-headed, you know that. You shouldn't judge him based on one little thing like this," Renji said.

"I shouldn't, but I do," Momo said, "Today, he confirmed all the fears and suspicions I had of him that I've been ignoring lately. I just don't feel I can trust him. Once again, I find myself alone without allies." Momo seemed to be talking half to herself at this point, but quickly looked back up at them. "So what did you want to ask me?"

"Well…" Rangiku said hesitantly, "We were hoping that you could open a Senkaimon to the world of the living for us. Could you do that?"

"Sure I could, just fill out the proper forms and get the permission of a Captain and I'll be able to make a Senkaimon in no time," Momo said.

"Um, well here's the thing…" Rangiku said, "We…sort of need to do this without official permission." Momo looked at her in alarm.

"Are you saying that you want me to open an illegal Senkaimon for you? Are you mad?" Momo said incredulously.

"It's really important," Rangiku said.

"Important? What could be important enough to commit a serious crime like that?" Momo asked. Rangiku immediately explained Karin's situation and how she wanted to see her family. By the time she was finished, Momo was looking at her as if she was even crazier than before.

"So you expect me to break the laws of Seireitei just so some kid can visit her family?" Momo asked, "Rangiku, what makes you think I would _ever_ agree to something like that?"

"Because I know that deep down, you're still the caring, compassionate person you always were," Rangiku said with a smile, "In the past, you would have seen the love she feels for her family and immediately helped her. Come on, where's that Momo?"

"I'm honestly not sure if that Momo even exists anymore," Momo replied, looking down in silence for a minute before glancing back up, "Does this really mean that much to you? Enough to break the law? Even knowing that her family might not be able to see her? Even knowing how much trouble we would both be in if caught?"

"I think Karin would have to answer that," Rangiku said glancing at Karin. Karin gulped.

"I'm willing to take the risk," she said firmly, "I…I want to see my family again. Even if they can't see me, and even if it's for a short while, I'm willing to do it." Momo sighed.

"You really do know me Rangiku," Momo said, "I can't turn her down. Meet me at my quarters at 2300 hours - that's eleven o'clock for her."

"Thank you," Karin said with a formal bow, "I am truly grateful to you for this."

"Just make sure you arrive on time," Momo said, "Now if you don't mind, I still have a lot of work to finish.

---

Toushiro sat on the rooftop, staring lazily at the sunset. He had already given the report for his mission, and was now left with no real work to do. He supposed he could work ahead so that he'd have less work tomorrow, but he preferred to just stay where he was and watch the sunset for the time being. It reminded him of happier times, back when he and Momo would watch the setting sun as children.

He wished Momo was here right now. Even with all the mannerisms that used to irritate him, the days when he and Momo could just sit together and idly watch the sunset and eat watermelon were among the happiest in his life. He would give anything to hear her laugh or see her smile, and not the fake smiles that were more common of her recently, but her true smile, the one that could light up a room with cheerfulness and joy. It had been a long time since he had seen her smile in such a way, not since Aizen.

Toushiro clenched his fist. _Aizen._ Even dead, Toushiro felt the urge to kill the man. He had destroyed Momo, torn her life to pieces. For decades he had groomed her to serve him and adore him, only to completely break her emotionally, not to mention nearly killing her. It was a miracle that she had even managed to recover as much as she had, though he doubted that she would ever be the happy, cheerful girl she had been before his betrayal.

"Good evening Captain Hitsugaya," a voice said from behind him. He turned his head slightly and glanced back. Shuuhei Hisagi stood just behind him.

"Captain Hisagi," Toushiro said with a nod in regard to the recently promoted Captain of the Ninth Division.

"Do you mind if I sit down?" Hisagi asked.

"Be my guest," Toushiro said apathetically. Hisagi sat down and gazed at the sunset.

"It's a lovely evening, isn't it?" Hisagi said.

"Yes," Toushiro answered simply.

"Far too lovely to enjoy alone," Hisagi said.

"I suppose so," Toushiro replied.

"Yet you were here all alone, without anyone else to share this lovely sight with. Why is that?"

Toushiro shrugged. "I guess I just wanted a break after my recent mission," he said.

"Ah yes, I forgot about that. How did that turn out?"

"It was uneventful," Toushiro said, "Just a routine mission not worthy of a Captain. They always seem to send me on those types of missions. I am always the one to send out, it would seem."

"I can relate, they've sent me out quite a bit too," Hisagi said, "I suppose it's because we're the most junior captains in the Gotei 13. Think of it as a sort of 'senior hazing' type of thing."

"It can get irksome at times," Toushiro sighed, "I do wish that people would give more respect to me sometimes. I worked really hard to achieve the position of Captain. I probably was promoted sooner than I was ready, sure, but I still did a lot to be appointed. I wish that more people would take me seriously."

"You're the youngest Captain in the history of the Gotei 13, it's only natural that people will have reservations about you," Hisagi said, "I imagine being a prodigy isn't easy, but that won't stop others from making presumptions about it."

"You have no idea," Toushiro sighed, "Sometimes I wonder just what it means when people call me 'prodigy' or 'boy genius'. Does it just mean that I developed my powers at a young age? Do I have greater potential than the other captains? Does it mean that I'm just more adept at using my powers? Does it mean that I'm smarter than the average person, or that I just reached maturity at a younger age? Does it mean that my current level is as far as I'll go, and it's just controlling it that I need to work on now? What does it mean? I honestly have no clue myself."

"Well if you ask me, I think that you've still got some room to grow, but that you've already accessed most of your powers. Being a prodigy means achieving adult-level capabilities at a young age. A six year old who can do math at the level of a twenty year old won't necessarily be better than his classmates when he's twenty. Similarly, you're at the power level of a mid-tier Captain right now, but you probably won't go much beyond that. You're definitely highly gifted, but you're not as hugely powerful as some might believe, at least in comparison to the other Captains."

"Tell that to Hinamori, she seems to think that I'm so far beyond belief that there's no way she could spend time with me," Toushiro absent-mindedly said.

"Ah, so that's what's bothering you," Hisagi said. Toushiro internally winced, wishing he hadn't said anything.

"Just forget that," Toushiro said, "This issue is between myself and Hinamori."

"You've become so distant from her that you're not even calling her by her first name anymore?" Hisagi asked.

"Like I said, forget it," Toushiro said.

"Why haven't you two made up yet, I know that you both really want to be friends again," Hisagi said.

"It's complicated. Now if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you'd just drop it," Toushiro said.

"What's complicated about it?" Hisagi asked. Toushiro groaned.

"If I tell you about it, will you stop pestering me?" he asked.

"Sure," Hisagi said.

"Okay. I'm sure you're already aware of most of the circumstances, so I'll just get to the core point," Toushiro said, "When Momo and I were growing up in Rukongai, we swore to protect eachother. We did everything together back then, and always stood up and looked out for eachother. Then, Momo started developing spiritual power. Being around her made my powers awaken too, but I refused to acknowledge them. When Momo left for the academy, I was all alone for the first time. She came to visit as often as she could, but it wasn't the same as before. At the time, I thought that I was completely left behind. She was making new friends and developing amazing new powers. How could I compete with that? I was certain that I would never be needed by her again, and that she and I would exist on entirely different levels. Then, during her fifth year, I began to develop my powers to an even greater extent, so much that I couldn't control them. I ended up having to enroll in the Academy so that I'd get a chance to control them. Momo was really happy of course, but when everyone realized I was a prodigy, things became different. She began to feel like she was the one who wasn't needed. It was subtle at first, and even after we became Shinigami we remained close to eachother and more or less on the same general level, if not in power then in position. But when I achieved Bankai and became a Captain, it became clear that she couldn't compete in terms of power, and combined with Aizen's betrayal, it just completely messed things up for us. She eventually came to the conclusion that because she wasn't as powerful as me, she couldn't fulfill her duties of protecting me, and thus couldn't be my friend."

"Is that everything?" Hisagi asked.

"Like I said, it's really complicated," Toushiro said, "It wasn't just the difference in power. She became upset that I was always the one protecting her and she couldn't protect me the way she used to. Of course, I felt similarly. I felt it was my duty to protect her, yet when she needed me most, I wasn't there to protect her, and she ended up nearly dead and emotionally crushed. Add that to all the issues after Aizen and our already growing distant and…well, like I said it's just a big mess."

"Momo said that she was jealous of you and that is part of why your friendship broke down," Hisagi said.

"Yes, that might have been part of it, but not as much as she thinks," Toushiro said, "I believe that she still feels guilty about what she did under Aizen's influence, and is heaping more guilt upon herself by telling herself that this is all because she's too jealous of me. Like I said, things between us are insanely complicated, and are beyond simple explanation."

"So do you think you two will ever make up and be friends again?" Hisagi asked.

"I don't know, maybe," Toushiro sighed, "Not until we're both able to acknowledge both eachother's and our own strengths and weaknesses. We're both blaming ourselves for some things, overestimating this or underestimating that, and just generally not understanding eachother properly. I don't know what sort of catalyst could get us to be true friends again, but I can only hope that eventually there will be one."

"Well, I wish you the best of luck with that. Now if you don't mind, it's getting dark, and I think I'll be going inside now," Hisagi said, standing up and leaving Toushiro deep in thought.

---

"Are you ready?" Rangiku asked Karin.

"Yes," Karin nodded, "I'm ready."

It was almost time for them to go to Momo's quarters, where she had promised to set up a Senkaimon to take Karin to the world of the living to visit her family. It was risky, and they couldn't afford to get caught, but they were still very excited. Karin was both eager and nervous to see her family again. She knew that they wouldn't be able to see her, but the thought of seeing them still made her happy.

"By the way Karin, I have a little something for you before you go," Rangiku said.

"Something for me?" Karin repeated. Rangiku nodded.

"Yes, a present. Just wait here a moment," she said, running off to her bedroom. She came back holding something under a sheet. When she pulled the sheet off, Karin gasped.

In Rangiku's hands were a set of robes. They were similar to a Shinigami's robes, but instead of black were creamy beige on top with a darker tan on the bottom half. Sitting on top of the folded robes was a katana in its scabbard.

"Rangiku, you…" Karin whispered, touched by the gift.

"I know, I know. I just felt like I should give you something since we don't know what will be happening to you. Just be sure to be careful with the sword or Ichigo will kill me," Rangiku said. Karin seemed uncertain of what to do for a moment before suddenly hugging Rangiku.

"Thank you Rangiku, thank you so much," she said. Rangiku smiled and patted her on the head.

"It's no problem. Would you like to try them on?" she asked. Karin looked up and nodded. She took the robes and went off to the other room to change. She emerged minutes later wearing the wonderful robes, the katana fastened to her side. She was filled with happiness as she walked in the robes.

"You look great Karin!" Rangiku squealed, "I'm going to have to get a picture of you in those!"

"That's going to have to wait."

Rangiku and Karin just then realized that they were not alone. Momo stood in the room off to the side.

"Momo? When did you get here?" Rangiku asked.

"You were late, so I let myself in," Momo explained, "Are you ready to go?" Karin nodded and ran over to Momo, more ready than ever to see her family.

"Take good care of her," Rangiku said.

"Don't worry, I will," Momo assured her, taking Karin's hand and walking out the door.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to war90, Thunder Claw03, Hinata-cutie, Shirochan21, Photophopic, Chillis, Taeniae, blackwitchkarma, chiharuSAICHI, The Great Pinapple MEKI, nexuswarrior, Reven Firebane, and Psyco101 for reviewing! Please review!


	12. Chapter 12

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter Twelve_

"So how is this going to work?" Karin asked Momo as they stood in her quarters.

"A Senkaimon, or Senkai Gate if you prefer, connects Soul Society and the World of the Living. It goes through the Dangai, the world between the two worlds. Unassisted, it is extremely difficult to pass between the dimensions. However, with one of these…" Momo pulled out a hell butterfly, "It is fairly simple to traverse."

"Why did Rangiku make such a big deal about it if it's so easy to create a Senkai Gate?" Karin asked.

"It's not easy. It normally takes dozens of Kido Corps troops to set up a Senkaimon, and they're heavily regulated and tracked. However, I am proficient enough in Kido that I can both create a Senkaimon and hide its presence from others," Momo explained, "I've set up barriers around this place that will hide the presence of the Senkaimon. Now if you don't mind, we must be going now."

Momo raised a hand, and suddenly a sliding door materialized in front of her. It slid open, revealing a brightly lit blank room. Momo gestured for Karin to go in, and she apprehensively did so, with Momo following after her. The doors shut after them, and the blank, bright walls seemed to flash with brightness. After a few minutes, the doors opened again, and Karin gasped.

They were standing in the streets of Karakura Town. Karin couldn't believe it. This was it, her old home town. She breathed in deeply, the fresh air of Karakura filling her lungs. Everything from the roads to the houses to the trees was just as she remembered it. She felt like jumping up and down in happiness.

"It's just after midnight right now," Momo said, "I'll allow you up to six hours, after which we must return to Soul Society. Understood?"

"Yes, I understand," Karin said.

"Good. Now perhaps we should get going," Momo said.

"Um…actually, I was wondering if I could go on my own," Karin said, "Nothing against you, I just want to do this on my own. Don't worry, I'll stay at my old house and come right back to this spot when the time is up." Momo looked at her for a moment before nodding.

"Very well, I'll trust you with this. I don't believe you'll try to run off somewhere, but just so you know, I do have ways of finding you should you do so," Momo said. Karin nodded.

"Yes, I understand. I think I'll go now," she said, turning and walking down the street.

Karin inhaled deeply. The scent of her hometown was something she had never noticed before, but now she could smell it with every breath. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but it was real enough to make Karin feel immensely happy. These were the streets she walked when she was alive. The sadness she felt seemed to temporarily leave her as she walked in the direction of her house. Well, not technically her house anymore, but the house she once lived in.

The streetlights illuminated the path before her, and she could see her home just a short ways off in the distance. Despite this, the walk seemed to take forever. She was so eager and anxious to see her family that time seemed to pass extra slowly. She knew they wouldn't be able to see her, but the thought of seeing Yuzu again was still a happy one. She was even eager to see her obnoxious father again.

Soon she was nearly at her old house. Her heart pounded as she walked past the yard and up the driveway. She walked past the flowers planted in front of the house and up to the front door. Her hand shakily reached for the door and grabbed hold of it. It was locked. Karin stared in disbelief. She had just taken huge measures to get back to her family, and now that she was finally here, the door was locked. She felt like shouting obscenities at the door. She had travelled between dimensions to get here; she was not going to be stopped by a locked door, dammit! She was beginning to contemplate which window would be easiest to climb through when she remembered an important fact: she was a spirit; she did not have a physical body and thus was unaffected by physical objects.

She placed a hand on the door and pushed. Her hand went straight through the door, nearly making her laugh at herself. She walked through the door into the house. It was quite amazing. She could touch physical objects, but she could just as easily go straight through them. She would have to ask Rangiku about that later, as right now she was eager to see her father and sister.

She walked through the kitchen and up the stairs. The first thing she noticed was that her father's bedroom door was open a crack with golden light coming out. Karin walked through the wall this time, not wanting to startle her father by accidentally knocking into the door. When she was inside his room, she saw that he was sitting up in bed reading a book by the light of a bedside lamp.

Almost as soon as Karin walked in, he looked up. For a moment Karin thought she had inadvertently made a noise or accidentally bumped into something, but he quickly looked back down at his book, an odd smile on his face. Shrugging it off, Karin turned her attention to the room, and realized that it was different from the way it had been last time. Before, the room had been plastered with posters and pictures of their mother, Masaki. Now the walls were covered with posters of Masaki and Karin. Even dead Karin felt incredibly embarrassed by this, and had her father not been sitting right in front of her, probably would have torn them down.

She groaned as she looked at all the posters and pictures of herself around the room. She hoped nobody else came in here. Sighing, she looked back at her father as she prepared to go over to Yuzu's room.

"Bye, Dad," she whispered, turning and walking through the wall.

Now in the hallway again, she walked over to Yuzu's room. Taking a deep breath, she walked through the wall and into her sister's room. It was dark, but Karin could vaguely make out the outline of her sisters bed. She quietly walked over, but to her surprise, Yuzu was not there. She was confused for a moment, but then looked over to the other side of the room. She smiled when she spotted Yuzu sleeping in her old bed.

Karin silently walked over, sitting down on the side of the bed. She watched her twin sister's sleeping form peacefully resting. She wished that she could sleep next to her. Whenever Yuzu was upset, she would always climb into Karin's bed and sleep with her. Now, for the first time, Karin wished she could sleep with Yuzu. She tried to hold off the sadness as she had in the past few weeks, but it was no good. She felt tears leaking from her eyes, which she hastily wiped away. She hated crying, but right now it was just too hard not to cry.

She longed to be able to talk to Yuzu again. To interact normally with her family as if nothing had happened, as if she had never died. She wanted to live again. It wasn't fair that she wouldn't have the chance to experience so much in life. She would never go to high school or college, she would never have high school romances, she would never go to college parties, she would never be able to drive a car, she would never grow up or get married or get a job or retire…there was just so much that she would miss. She had tried to push such thoughts away for the past few weeks, but as she looked at Yuzu, who would be able to experience those things, the realization of just how much of life she would miss hit her like a board to the face.

"I guess you'll just have to live your life for both of us," Karin said quietly, patting her gently on the head. Suddenly, Yuzu seemed to give a small jump, causing Karin to immediately withdraw her hand and back away. What happened? Had she woken her sister up? She didn't realize that physical beings could feel the touch of spirits. Or was it just a coincidence that she had woken up?

Karin watched as Yuzu slowly sat up in bed, looking around in the darkness. Karin didn't move, observing quietly as Yuzu stood up and walked across the room to flick the light switch on. The room lit up, causing Karin to squint a little. Yuzu looked around the room, but judging from her lack of reaction, could not see Karin. She went over to her bedroom door and opened it, walking out. Karin followed her. Yuzu went down the stairs and into the kitchen, where she poured herself a glass of milk. She quickly drained the glass and set it on the counter before walking back upstairs. Karin sighed; evidently she was just thirsty.

As Yuzu reached the top of the stairs however, she seemed to lose her balance in her sleepy state, and fell backwards. Karin, still following behind her, immediately caught her, preventing her from falling. Yuzu seemed to breathe a sigh of relief for a moment, but that relief was soon replaced by terror as she realized that something she couldn't see was holding her up. She opened her mouth to scream, but Karin hurriedly clapped a hand over it, muffling her.

Panicking, Karin dragged Yuzu back into her room, closing the door behind her. She didn't know what to do. Yuzu tried screaming as Karin covered her mouth and restrained her. She didn't want to scare Yuzu further, but she didn't want to cause a panic by waking her father and the neighbors up either. She eventually decided to take Yuzu to her bed and hope that this incident would be dismissed as a nightmare. She hurriedly moved Yuzu over to her bed, pulling the covers over her with difficulty as she tried to scream.

"Come on Yuzu, be quiet," Karin muttered. Yuzu's eyes suddenly widened, and she stopped screaming. Puzzled, Karin hesitantly removed her hand from over Yuzu's mouth. Yuzu was silent for a moment before speaking.

"Who-who's there?" she asked timidly. Karin stared in shock.

"You can hear me?" she asked.

"Y-y-yes," Yuzu said, "I-I can see you a little too. You l-look like a shimmery outline, but I can see you. Who are you? Are you haunting me?"

Karin suddenly burst into laughter driven by a complex mix of emotions.

"D-don't laugh! Who are you?" Yuzu asked again. Karin smiled at her sister.

"Don't you remember my voice?" she asked. Yuzu seemed confused for a moment, but then her eyes widened.

"That…that's impossible! It…it can't be…is it? Is it really you…Karin?" she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"It's me," Karin said. Yuzu's eyes filled with tears, and she suddenly grabbed Karin and pulled her onto the bed.

"Oh Karin! It's you, it's really you!" she cried, "I thought I'd never see you again, but it's you, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's me," Karin said, a little teary-eyed herself.

"Oh Karin…Karin!" Yuzu cried, hugging her sister's soul and crying into her shoulder, "I-I'm starting to see you better now…you're still fuzzy and transparent, but I can see you! I see you! You really are Karin!"

"Yuzu, I'm so happy to see you," Karin said quietly.

"W-what happened? How did you really die? How did you get here?" Yuzu asked.

"It's a long story."

Karin told Yuzu everything. About how she'd been killed, about being sent to Soul Society, about being taken into Seireitei and trained by Rangiku, everything. Yuzu listened in fascination.

"So…so you live on the other side now?" she asked.

"That's right," Karin said.

"I'm glad," Yuzu said, "I'm glad you still live on, even if I can't see you."

"Just remember to live your life to the fullest," Karin said, "I want you to live a life good enough for the both of us."

"I-I will!" Yuzu said.

"Thank you," Karin said. She looked out, and saw that it was nearly dawn. "I'm going to have to go soon."

"Go? Why?" Yuzu asked.

"I was only able to visit for a little while. I'm sorry, but I have to go back now," Karin said with a sad smile.

"Will you ever come back to see me?" Yuzu asked.

"I don't know," Karin said, "With luck though, we may eventually meet on the other side, after you've lived a rich, full life."

"I…I don't want you to go!" Yuzu whispered, hugging Karin.

"I know Yuzu, I don't want to go either, but I have to. Stay strong, Yuzu."

With tears in her eyes, Karin exited the room and left the house, walking out into the street. It was morning, and Momo would soon be expecting her back. She turned to walk away when there was a loud roar in the distance. Karin froze and looked behind her, recognizing that sound.

Off in the distance, she saw the outline of a hollow. Karin gulped, recalling her previous encounters with hollows. This was different from those times though. First, this hollow was much smaller, and second, she could fight back this time. She glanced at her house, which she knew would probably be the hollow's target if she did nothing. She ran down the street towards the hollow. As she got closer, she began to get a clearer look at it. The hollow was greenish grey in color, and was vaguely man shaped, but much thicker and several feet taller than an ordinary man. Its mask was square in shape, and it was clumsily walking forward, dragging its knuckles on the ground like a caveman.

She approached it cautiously, but the hollow barely seemed to notice her. Deciding that this was the best opportunity, she immediately ran forward, drawing the sword Rangiku had given her from its scabbard. She raised the katana into the stance that Rangiku had shown her and charged forward. The hollow finally seemed to notice her, and swung one of its thick arms at her, but it was too late. Karin's blade cut deep into the hollow's left forearm.

Karin thought for a moment that she might emerge victorious from this, but then the hollow let out an angry roar and swatted her away with its other arm, sending her flying. Karin was only barely able to land on her knees and stand back up when the hollow attacked again. Karin tried stabbing at it, but she attacked too soon, and the tip of her blade barely scratched the hollow. Again the hollow attacked, this time punching her and sending her skidding onto the pavement.

As Karin shakily tried to get up, she realized a horrible truth: she was no match for her enemy. This hollow was clearly a weak one, but still, even with weeks of training by Rangiku, she stood no chance against it. She had been foolish to think she could take on a hollow so soon. Her training was only the most basic elements of the most basic training. Rangiku had tried to push her forward, but in reality, Karin was nothing compared to this hollow or other Shinigami. As she watched the hollow approaching her, despair overcame her, and she felt as if she couldn't even stand up to resist.

Suddenly however, a ball of red light flew over Karin's head and hit the hollow with a huge explosion. When the smoke cleared, the entire right half of the hollow's body was blown off, and it fell to the ground, disintegrating moments later. Karin shakily tried to get to her feet, but found that she was too weak to stand up. She settled for raising herself up to her knees, turning around to see Momo Hinamori standing behind her.

"I wish you would have come to me instead of facing the hollow yourself. Ichigo's going to skin me alive if he finds out about this," she said.

"It…it was heading for my family! I couldn't just wait for you!" Karin protested.

"We'll talk more about this later," Momo said, "Right now we need to hurry up and get back to Soul Society. If there are hollows here, it will attract Soul Society's attention, which could result in us being discovered. I'll carry you."

Momo bent down and picked Karin up, lifting her onto her back. Karin winced a little from the bruises she sustained, but still managed to be amazed by Momo. She wasn't that big or physically impressive, yet she easily picked Karin up. As Karin thought this, there was another roar. Momo groaned and turned around to see another hollow. She raised her hand in the direction of the hollow.

"Hado 31, Shakkaho!" she said. A ball of red fire shot forward from the palm of her hand. It hit the hollow in the chest, vaporizing it almost instantaneously. Just as she defeated this hollow however, two more arrived from behind it, and then another and another. Soon it became apparent that there were a huge number of hollow's approaching. Momo swore quietly to herself.

"Damn it…Soul Society is sure to notice this," she muttered, "I don't know how we're going to beat all of these guys without being discovered…"

As she said this however, a blue light flashed over their heads and hit the nearest hollow, causing it to disintegrate.

"You are no longer needed, Shinigami. I, Uryu Ishida, am the one who will protect this area from hollows."

Momo smirked, seeming to recognize what was going on without even turning around.

"So you're the Quincy that lives in this area, huh? Can you take all of these guys?" she asked.

"Of course," Uryu said.

"Good, in that case, we'll be going." Momo turned and ran in the other direction towards the Senkaimon.

"Wait! My family!" Karin said, trying to stop her.

"The Quincy will take care of those hollows," Momo said, "He's more than a match for them."

"I know, but I don't want to leave until I'm sure my family is safe!" Karin said.

"They'll be fine, forget it! We need to get back to Soul Society before our absence is noticed!" Momo said. Karin paid no attention however, and tried to jump off of Momo's back. Momo immediately grabbed her and picked her up.

"Put me down!" Karin yelled, trying to get away, "I just need to make sure my family is alright!"

"There's no time! Stop squirming around!" Momo yelled back, trying to keep control of Karin as she ran. Karin continued to struggle, and after giving a sigh of frustration, Momo grabbed her head and forced Karin to look into her eyes. Almost immediately, Karin fell unconscious.

---

Karin groggily opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry and she still felt dizzy. She vaguely noticed that she was in a dark room with only a small window near the ceiling. She raised a hand to rub her head, but when she did so, her other hand jerked up as well. She blinked in confusion, trying to focus on her hands. Only after several moments did she realize that she was in handcuffs. She suddenly became much more alert, looking frantically around.

"What's going on? Where am I?" she blurted out.

"Where do you think?"

Karin whipped around to see Momo sitting across the room, her wrists cuffed just like Karin's.

"What's happening? Where are we?" she asked in a panic.

"We're in jail. Where did you think we were," Momo said irritably, "We got caught, and they're keeping us in a holding cell."

"Jail? Isn't that a bit severe?" Karin asked.

"I told you before we left that we could get in big trouble, didn't I?" Momo said, "I illegally opened a Senkaimon and transported you to the world of the living, not to mention the fact that one of the Kido spells I used to hide the portal was a forbidden one. I really thought it would work, but I guess not…"

Karin tried to stand up, but immediately felt dizzy again and sat right back down.

"What happened before? I don't remember getting arrested or anything. The last thing I remember is you grabbing me and trying to get away. Did they knock me out or something?"

"Actually I knocked you out."

"What?! It was you? Why did you do that?!" Karin nearly yelled.

"You kept on resisting and I had to get you out of there. It was the only way," Momo said.

"What did you do to me? I'm still feeling really weird," Karin said, rubbing her forehead, trying to bring herself back to full alertness.

"I used Hakufuku. It is a wordless spell that causes the victim to lose consciousness. Perhaps I cast it too strongly though, you've been out for hours," Momo said.

"So now what?" Karin asked, feeling rather irritated towards Momo.

"Well, now that you're awake we'll probably get chewed out by a few Captains before being sentenced. They probably will let you off with a slap on the wrist, but me…I'm probably in a fair amount of trouble."

Karin didn't have the chance to question her further, as just then, several guards arrived and informed them that now that Karin was awake, they would be taken to receive their punishment. They were led out of their cell and the building. Karin's mind was still rather hazy, and before she knew it she was standing before Captain-Commander Yamamoto, Captain Kyouraku, Toushiro Hitsugaya, and to her dismay, Ichigo.

"Good afternoon Vice-captain Hinamori, Karin Kurosaki. Do you understand why you're here?" Captain-commander Yamamoto said in his intimidating voice.

"Yes sir," Momo said quietly, staring at the floor. The eyes of the Captains were fixed upon them, and she appeared to be avoiding their gaze.

"You are charged with the crimes of opening a Senkaimon without authorization, illegal transport of a soul, entering the World of the Living without a power limiter, and use of a forbidden Kido spell. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

"No sir," Momo said, still staring at the ground.

"In that case-"

"Wait a minute!" Karin suddenly said, boldly stepping forward.

"Karin, be quiet for now," Ichigo said sternly.

"No! I won't be quiet! She didn't do anything wrong, you can't punish her!" Karin said firmly.

"She broke the law and put you in danger," Ichigo said.

"At my request! She only did those things because I asked her to! It's not her fault!"

"You don't know any better. She is a Vice-captain and knew exactly what she was doing."

"No, I fully understood that I was breaking the rules. If you punish her, you must punish me equally," Karin said firmly.

"You will be disciplined," Yamamoto said, "However, as the younger sibling of a Captain in training, we will be lenient towards you. You will be sent to Rukongai for the time being."

"No, you can't do that!" Ichigo interrupted, "We already know that she attracts hollows, putting her out there would only put her in danger!"

"Not to mention danger for those who would live near her," Kyouraku said.

"I am of the opinion that while both of them acted illegally, we should give them minimal sentences," Toushiro said.

"They must be punished," Yamamoto said.

"If you send Karin to Rukongai, I will go with her," Ichigo said, "If you wish to keep me as a Captain, you must keep her in Seireitei."

"She is not a Shinigami. She cannot stay in Seireitei without good reason," Yamamoto argued.

Ichigo was about to respond when the door flew open, and Rangiku Matsumoto came running in.

"Karin! Momo!" she cried.

"Matsumoto, why are you here? You were not summoned," Toushiro said.

"My apologies Captain, but I cannot allow these two to be punished," Rangiku said.

"I'm afraid that any testimony you have will be meaningless. Karin Kurosaki will be removed from Seireitei and Momo Hinamori will be stripped of her rank and placed in prison for an undetermined amount of time," Yamamoto said.

"No, it wasn't their fault," Rangiku said, "You see, this was all my idea. I wanted to help Karin see her family again, so I persuaded Vice-captain Hinamori to create a Senkaimon. This entire incident is my responsibility."

"Matsumoto!" Toushiro said in shock.

"If that is the case, you will be punished as well. I cannot dismiss the punishments of these two however. All involved must be disciplined," Yamamoto said.

"If that is the case, you'll have quite a bit of trouble," Rangiku said, "Renji Abarai and Rukia Kuchiki were both aware of this plan. I also consulted Vice-captain Kira and Captain Hisagi on this issue. If you desire to punish all who were involved, you'll be missing four Vice-captains and a Captain, not to mention the fact that Ichigo and Captain Kuchiki will quit if you try to punish Karin and Rukia. Is it worth it? No harm ended up coming from this incident, so what point is there to punishing everyone?"

"The rules were broken. I cannot let this pass," Yamamoto said, "Karin Kurosaki particularly must be dealt with. She is not properly disciplined and cannot be watched. She has no place in Seireitei."

"Don't worry, I already took steps to prepare for that," Rangiku said, "You see, for the past few weeks I've been training Karin in the ways of the Shinigami!"

"You what?!" Ichigo roared, "I thought you were just teaching her basic defense!"

"Well sure, that's what I told you," Rangiku said, "But this works out, doesn't it? Karin just needs a bit more training and she can become a Shinigami!"

"It takes six years at the academy before most souls are able to train sufficiently to become Shinigami," Toushiro said, "It is unlikely that she will be capable of becoming a Shinigami any time soon."

"Normally that would be correct, but with a genius like me training her…"

"No! I won't allow that! You have nothing but a bad influence on her," Ichigo said, "I won't let you train her further. You are only setting her up to be put in greater danger."

"But Ichigo, this is what I want!" Karin argued.

"I know, but a Shinigami's life is dangerous. I can't let you enter such a life. You're too young. We'll figure out a way to keep you in Seireitei, don't worry about that. You don't need to take such extreme measures."

"But Ichigo-!"

"No, I won't allow this," Ichigo said, "You'll only be put in greater danger!"

"Now hold up a minute, Ichigo," Kyouraku said, "Old man, are you certain that you wish for Karin Kurosaki to be punished?"

"That is correct," Yamamoto said.

"And you also wish to punish Vice-captain Hinamori?"

"Indeed."

"Then why not combine their punishments? Karin will be put through the training to become a Shinigami, and Vice-captain Hinamori will be the one to provide the training," Kyouraku said.

"What?!" Ichigo, Karin, Rangiku, and Momo said at once.

"It's the best option. Vice-captain Hinamori can be temporarily dismissed from her normal duties to train Karin. It will be something of a punishment for both of them, and will also result in Karin being able to stay in Seireitei as a Shinigami. Vice-captain Hinamori can teach her discipline alongside the Shinigami ways."

"No, that idea won't work," Momo said, "I can't train her; I don't know the first thing about training or teaching others! Not to mention the fact that I barely even know the girl!"

"That's why it's your punishment!" Kyouraku said cheerfully, "You'll be stuck training her, and she'll be stuck being trained! It will be more work for both of you than if you were in more comfortable settings! Besides, I think that this sort of thing will build character. In any case, it's better than jail time, right? So what do you say Yama, do you think that this could work out?"

Yamamoto looked over Karin and Momo for a moment before nodding.

"Very well. Momo Hinamori, you will train Karin Kurosaki in the ways of the Shinigami. She is to serve as your apprentice, and you will both give your full efforts in this matter. That is my final judgment."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to The Great Pineapple MEKI, Thunder Claw03, war90, Reven Firebane, nexuswarrior, Taeniaea, Chillis, Hinata-cutie, Revolation, and Psyco101 for reviewing! Please review!


	13. Chapter 13

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter Thirteen_

"Okay, I'm ready," Karin said.

"Good. I'll take you over to the training grounds in a little bit, 'kay?" Rangiku said.

"Sure," Karin said. Today was the day that she was to begin her training with Momo. Only three days had passed since Yamamoto issued his ruling, and Karin had used that time to practice as much as possible. Rangiku had been given extra work by Toushiro as punishment for her role in the incident, so Karin practiced mainly by herself. Despite it being her 'punishment' Karin was quite excited about her training with Momo. She didn't know much about her, but she knew that she was strong based on her encounters with the Vice-captain. Still, she was quite interested in learning more about her.

"Hey Rangiku, I need to ask you something," Karin said, "I was wondering if you could tell me a bit more about Momo. I've interacted with her a few times now, yet I know practically nothing about her. Could you tell me a bit about her or something?"

"Hm, well in all honesty, that would be difficult," Rangiku said, scratching her head, "Momo is a complex person, and not very easy to describe. There's also a few…issues with her that I don't think I should really tell you."

"What kind of issues?" Karin asked.

"Like I said, it's really personal, and for the sake of Momo's privacy, I don't think I can tell you. It was extremely painful and traumatic for her. As her friend, I don't think I could tell others about it without her permission," Rangiku explained.

"Okay, I guess I understand," Karin said, still a little curious, "What about her personality?"

"Well, I guess I would describe her as gentle and friendly first," Rangiku said, "She's kind and peaceful, but she's also brave and determined. She'll do anything to defend her friends. She is peaceful and dislikes fighting, but if you get into a fight with her, she's more than capable of fighting fiercely, particularly if her friends have been hurt or insulted. She's hard-working and strong willed. She's somewhat impulsive, but that's worked out for the best sometimes, though not so much other times."

"What do you think she'll be like during training?" Karin asked.

"I can't say. She'll probably be a bit more formal than me, but I doubt that she'll be too hard on you. You might want to be careful though, she's had some problems with Ichigo in the past, and since she was punished for helping you, she might be a little bitter. She's not normally the type to hold grudges, but it still wouldn't hurt to tread carefully around her. She's really talented though. She's probably one of the best Shinigami at reiatsu manipulation, and her Kido abilities are unbelievable. She's even been called a Kido Goddess at times. Her skills in the other Shinigami practices aren't quite as good, but she's still skilled. She'll train you well, I'm quite confident in that."

"That's good," Karin said. Rangiku glanced at the clock.

"It looks like it's time to get going," she said, "Hop on my back and I'll shunpo over to the training grounds." Karin climbed onto Rangiku's back with some reluctance. She always felt rather childish when doing this, but it was the quickest way to get around. After she was securely on Rangiku's back, Rangiku used shunpo, using several of the rapid bursts of speed to make her way to the training grounds.

In no time at all, they were there. The training grounds Rangiku had taken her to consisted of a large area with trees, rocks, and small hills. The entire place was covered in a carpet of dark green grass.

"This is it! Captain Hitsugaya's personal training grounds!" Rangiku said, "We're lucky he let us work here."

"This place is amazing," Karin said in awe.

"Yeah, the Captain felt that the regular training grounds were too restrictive and dull, so he had this place constructed! Pretty cool, huh? Momo will have prepared everything you could possibly need for your training."

"Where is Momo anyways?" Karin asked.

"She's already here," Rangiku said with a smile.

"Where?"

"Back here," Momo said from behind her. Karin jumped in surprise, startled by Momo's sudden appearance.

"So have you prepared everything?" Rangiku asked.

"Yes, everything is ready, and I've planned things out completely," Momo said.

"Good. In that case, I'll be off. Bye-bye!" Rangiku shunpoed away, leaving Momo and Karin behind. There was a short silence before Karin spoke.

"So Momo, what will we work on first?" Karin asked.

"The first thing we'll work on is how to address an executive military officer," Momo said sternly, "You see, as a Vice-captain, I possess the second highest rank in the Gotei 13. As such, you will address me as 'Vice-captain Hinamori'. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand. My apologies, _Vice-captain Hinamori_," Karin said, "What type of training will we be doing?"

"We will start out with reiatsu manipulation," Momo said.

"Great! I've been practicing that with Rangiku! I've gotten pretty good at it."

"We'll see about that," Momo said, "I assume you're familiar with this." She pulled out one of the glass orbs, and Karin nodded.

"Yeah, I used one of those while practicing with Rangiku," she said.

"Perhaps you would care to show me."

"Yeah, sure," Karin said, taking the orb. She put both hands on it and took a deep breath.

Almost immediately the orb lit up with her power. Karin nearly grinned. She had been practicing a lot, and could now access reiatsu almost without thinking about it. She was also able to direct it much more effectively and hold it in the orb after it had left her body. She was rather proud of her improvement.

"Okay, that's good enough," Momo said, "Next, I'd like you to try something a little different. Focus your reiatsu into it while holding it in only one hand this time." Karin did as told, and managed to focus her reiatsu into the orb again, though it was a little more difficult this time.

"Now run back and forth between those two trees over there two hundred times while directing your reiatsu. I'll keep count," Momo said.

"What?"

"Run between those two trees over there two hundred times while constantly focusing your spiritual energy. They're about twenty meters apart, so running between them two hundred times will mean the equivalent of running four kilometers."

"I can't do that!" Karin said, "I could probably barely run that much normally, let alone while trying to focus on reiatsu!"

"So does that mean you'll be disobeying my order then?" Momo asked. Karin was silent for a moment before growling and running over to the two trees.

She held the sphere in her right hand, holding it against her body to ensure that she would not drop it. She began focusing her reiatsu into it, causing it to glow, and began running. Almost immediately Karin could tell how difficult this would be. She had practiced directing reiatsu to the point that doing so was a simple task, but while running it was much more difficult to concentrate, and keeping it steady was even more difficult. Both her running speed and her ability to direct reiatsu were diminished greatly. Running while juggling would have been easier. Directing reiatsu properly and in a steady manner was nearly impossible while running. She kept it up though. She knew that it was just this sort of thing that was the reason she was undergoing the training in the first place.

While she was running however, she was dismayed to notice that Momo was not even paying attention. She was sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed. Karin stopped and ran over to her, quite winded from running.

"Hey…I thought you were going to be keeping count!" she said, upset that Momo had ignored her efforts.

"I am. You ran one hundred and sixteen times between the trees. I'll let you off with a warning for stopping now, but if you stop again before you've finished, I'll make you do it all over again," Momo said, not opening her eyes. Karin felt like yelling at her, but quickly returned to running back and forth between the trees, not wanting to be punished for stopping.

By the time she was done, she was drenched in sweat and her entire body felt sore. Beyond that, her _soul _felt strained from directing so much reiatsu under such stress. She was bent over panting when Momo walked over.

"That was adequate for now. Not great, but adequate. We'll do that exercise every morning as a warm-up," Momo said.

"Warm-up?" Karin said incredulously.

"Indeed. You think that this is the toughest it's going to get for you? You have no idea. This isn't like the playtime you had with Rangiku," Momo said, "Remember, it's your punishment to go through some real training, and it is mine to provide it. I fully intend to put my entire effort into making you stronger, and expect you to do the same. Now if you don't mind, I'll begin the next exercise now."

"Fine, what will it be?" Karin asked.

"This. Bakudo 45, Weighted Earth!" Momo said. Karin immediately collapsed to the ground, her body suddenly extremely heavy.

"What…what's going on?!" she gasped, forcing her head up a little to look at Momo.

"This is one of my Kido spells. It vastly increases gravity over a small area," Momo said, "Bakudo 2, Signal Light." A small bead of golden light appeared in Momo's hand. It stretched itself out into a thin thread and went to the ground, creating a circle of around Karin about three meters across. "That is the boundary of the spell," Momo explained, "It is your task to escape it."

"How?" Karin asked, feeling a panic inside of her. She could barely move, and just by lying there her muscles felt strained.

"There are only two ways. One is to physically overpower the spell. A strong person could do so against a normal user of Weighted Earth. You are not strong enough to overpower the spell and I am not an ordinary Kido user. The second way is to use your own reiatsu to resist the spell, giving you the opportunity to escape," Momo explained.

"How do I do that?" Karin asked, beginning to feel distressed by her inability to move.

"You must spread your reiatsu evenly throughout your body, exerting it all around you to resist the spell. Before you were just releasing it through your hands and into a sphere for practice. Now you must release it from all points of your body to give yourself enough resistance to the spell to escape. I made the spell weaker than I normally would, so you should be capable of it should you try."

Karin listened to what Momo said. It sounded impossible given her current situation. She wasn't sure she could focus her reiatsu around her to that degree normally, and while she was under this spell…she felt like it couldn't be done. Nevertheless, she immediately began trying. She focused on the reiatsu that filled her body and tried to exert it all over. She felt immediate resistance, as if the reiatsu from Momo's spell were pushing back.

"Concentrate," Momo said, "Calm yourself and remain focused. Focus on the feeling of the spirit energy from the spell. Counter it and break free. Let reiatsu flow through your body and use your strength to resist the spell." Karin tried, but found herself unable to do it. Her body felt like it was made of lead. She couldn't even move an inch.

"I…I can't!" Karin said, "I'm trying, but I can't! I can't repel it; I'm not strong enough to get away! I can almost repel the effects, but my body isn't strong enough to take advantage of it! I'm in good physical condition, but I'm not some sort of body builder! I'm not physically strong enough to resist it!"

"It's not brute physical strength that makes a shinigami strong," Momo said. She walked forward, entering the area affected by the spell, apparently not affected at all by its effects. She reached down and picked up Karin, going back outside the spell with her.

Karin breathed a sigh of relief, the heavy feeling gone. Momo waved a hand, and the Kido spell vanished.

"Do you see what I did there?" Momo asked.

"You used your reiatsu to resist the effects of the spell so you could walk through it," Karin answered.

"Not just that. I was able to push away the effects of the spell myself, but you were still under its effects. At the time I picked you up, you weighed equivalent of about three hundred pounds."

"Three hundred pounds?!" Karin exclaimed, her eyes wide, "How-"

"How did I lift you while you were so heavy? I already told you. A Shinigami's power is not derived from physical strength," Momo said, "Just look at me. Do I look like a warrior? No; physically I'm just a girl no more grown than a human teenager. I work out every day to keep myself in shape, but that won't change the fact that I'm not physically imposing. Yet I am a Vice-captain of the Gotei 13. Do you know why that is?"

"I…I don't know…" Karin answered.

"It's because I excel at reiatsu manipulation. Thanks to that, I'm stronger and faster than any human athlete. There are many Shinigami more muscular than myself, yet most are not as strong as me because they are not able to strengthen themselves with their reiatsu like to the degree I am able to. A Shinigami's true strength is not in their physical bodies or their skill with a sword, it's in their ability to use their spiritual power. That is what I am trying to teach you."

Karin remained silent, reflecting on what Momo was saying. She hadn't really thought of it like that before. Her training with Rangiku was nothing like this. It had been rigorous at times, but it was never this deep or thorough. She was beginning to realize that she really had a long way to go, and that she still had much to learn.

"Since you've failed this exercise, I'm going to have to give you another task," Momo said. Karin nearly winced at these words, but nevertheless stood up straight and listened to Momo's instructions.

This went on for the rest of the day. Momo made Karin do a number of harsh exercises that not only left her physically exhausted, but drained of reiatsu. By the time Rangiku came back at sunset to retrieve her, she could barely stand, and she fell asleep as Rangiku carried her home. When she woke up, she was lying in a large comfortable bed while Rangiku tried to help her with her sore muscles.

"Ow, ow, ow…" Karin groaned as Rangiku slid a heating pad under her back. Her entire body was sore, and every little movement hurt.

"Sorry," Rangiku said.

"It's okay," Karin said, trying not to move.

"I guess it was a tough day, huh?"

"You have no idea," Karin groaned, "I've never been so tired in my life."

"It's probably because you used up so much reiatsu. I probably should have worked with you a bit more thoroughly to prepare you for it," Rangiku said, "I didn't want to be too tough on you, but now it looks like it would have been better to get you used to rough treatment."

"I won't lie, I'm not exactly eager to go back tomorrow," Karin said.

"I know, but it will hopefully get better. Momo's not doing this to be mean, she's just taking her task seriously. She's a really sweet, kind person. After she's trained you for a while, I'm sure that you'll be glad that you went through all of this."

"I suppose…" Karin said doubtfully.

"Hey, what are you two doing here?!"

Karin looked up and to her surprise saw Toushiro Hitsugaya standing in the doorway wearing blue-green pajamas.

"Oh…hi Captain," Rangiku said, "I was just giving Karin a place to rest. Her first day of training was rough, so I thought that I'd give her a nicer bed than the one at my place. Yours is big and soft, so I figured it was the best choice."

"Well it's my bed, so get out," Toushiro said irritably.

"Oh come on Captain! Don't be so mean!" Rangiku said, "Just share for one night! Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaase!"

"No!"

"But Captain, Karin is so tired she can barely move! She can't just get up and go somewhere else!"

"Where do you expect me to sleep then?"

"It's a big bed, I'm sure you can both fit in," Rangiku said.

"No way!"

"Captain!"

"No!"

Karin watched them argue from bed. Despite Toushiro's stubbornness, Rangiku was clearly winning. She relentlessly argued until Toushiro eventually gave in.

"Okay, fine! Just one night!" he said, "She can stay, but I want you out Matsumoto!"

"Oh fine. I'll see you tomorrow Karin," Rangiku said, turning and exiting. Toushiro groaned and rubbed his forehead.

"Move over a bit," he said.

"A gentleman would sleep on the couch and let the lady sleep on the bed," Karin said.

"Yeah, like you're a lady," he said. Karin scowled at this but nevertheless moved over a bit, making room for Toushiro. Sighing, he got in, facing away from her. He reached over to the light switch next to the bed and turned the lights off.

"So why do you have such a big bed?" Karin asked.

"It's the standard sized bed given to Captains," Toushiro replied.

"Didn't they know that you were so little? It seems like they would have given you a smaller bed…"

"Well they didn't. Now go to sleep."

"You're a really grumpy person," Karin noted.

"Well I value my sleep and you're interrupting it," he said. Karin laughed a little.

"You're grumpy and a bit cold, but I'm glad I met you," she said, "You should be nicer to others. I'm sure a lot of people would want to be your friends if you gave them the chance."

"I'm not interested in that," Toushiro replied, "Now be quiet, I'm trying to sleep. A boy who doesn't sleep doesn't grow." Karin ignored this.

"Didn't you mention having a friend once?" Karin said. Toushiro was quiet for a moment.

"I did."

"Who is it? Are you this cold around them too?"

"I'm not interested in talking about it right now," he said, "Just shut up and go to sleep." Karin grumbled a little bit, wanting to talk some more, but decided it was best to drop the subject for now. She reluctantly closed her eyes and began to fall asleep.

Suddenly however, she felt Toushiro's foot hit her in the side, pushing her off the bed. She fell to the floor with a thud, her sore muscles hurting from the impact. She got up painfully, rubbing her back. She looked at Toushiro, who was fast asleep, apparently unaware that he was kicking in his sleep. Karin rolled her eyes.

"You little brat," she grumbled. She picked up her pillow and moved it to the other end of the bed, where she could sleep without having to worry about being kicked by Toushiro. She layed down and once again went to sleep, this time drifting into her dreams uninterrupted.

---

Footsteps echoed in a dark tunnel as the figures of four men walked forward. In the front was a tall man with grey hair and a beard. At his side was a man with a thick black moustache wearing elegant robes. Behind the grey-haired man was a smaller man dressed in simple clothing. Walking lazily some distance behind was a man with blond hair tied back in a braided ponytail, wearing large sunglasses and a baggy longcoat that went down past his knees. Their footsteps were the only sound except for the occasional drip of water in the dank underground passage.

"Are you certain about this sir?" the man with the black moustache asked.

"Of course Mansamusa; I assure you that I have given consideration to all possibilities, and this is the only way," the grey bearded man said, "Usagi has already done research into this, and determined that this is the only way. Isn't that right?"

"Of course," the man with the blond braided ponytail said, "I've studied the culture, history, and psychology of the Batawi thoroughly. I've even interrogated a few of them. It is clear that there is no way to control them except through _him._"

"What good is it to have him control them if we can't control him?" Mansamusa said, "He was locked away because he was too violent and unpredictable to exist alongside other beings. Releasing him will bring nothing but ill fortune."

"We're not exactly going to just let him out. There are ways of keeping him in check," the grey-haired man said.

"Still, I have a very bad feeling about this. Would it not be possible to move forward without the Batawi?"

"In all likelihood, yes. We could probably execute our goals without them. However, it would be much too difficult. With only ourselves, a few dozen rogue Shinigami, a couple of desperate arrancar, and near-mindless minions, taking on the Gotei 13 will be most difficult. The Batawi could be enough to decisively tip the odds in our favor. Trust me, old friend. This is the best way."

Before Mansamusa could protest further, the man behind them cleared his throat.

"We're here," he said, pointing to a large slab of metal with intricate designs blocking the tunnel up ahead. He ran forward, reaching into his pockets. He pulled out a metal bar with studs on the sides. He inserted it into a hole at the center of the iron block. There were several loud clicks, followed by a thud, and the metal block split into four pieces, each withdrawing into the wall. The man backed away, gesturing for the others to go ahead.

The room in front of them was only a little wider than the tunnel, but it had a different feel to it. The tunnel was creepy and tense, but this room seemed to have a fear-inducing aura about it. At the opposite end of the room was a dark indentation in the wall with iron bars across it like a jail cell. From that place came a menacing sound, like heavy breath and the hissing of a snake combined.

The group walked forward, approaching that cell. There was a growl, and something stirred within the darkness behind those metal bars.

"Good evening," the grey-haired man said. Whatever was being held in the cell did not respond, but two little dots of eerie yellow stared out from the cell.

"Hey, don't be rude," Usagi said with a snicker, approaching the cell, "When somebody talks to you, it's polite to- whoops!" He jumped back just as a skeletal hand shot out from between the bars, grabbing at where Usagi would have been moments before. The hand was not like one from a human's skeleton, but rather looked like it had been carved out of bone. It was much more heavily built than the bones in a human's hand, and the tips of the fingers were pointed. With a growl, whatever was inside withdrew the skeletal hand back into the darkness. The grey-haired man spoke again.

"We have need of your service. If you agree to help us, we will set you free of this prison. I have only a few conditions…"

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to Taenaeia, Thunder Claw03, Emma Iveli, war90, Photophopic, Revolation, Chillis, chiharuSAICHI, nexuswarrior, The Great Pineapple MEKI, Ladiie-Angeliie, Shirochan21, wt183, Psyco101, strawberry fishcakes, and The Catch for reviewing! Please review!


	14. Chapter 14

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 14_

Karin yawned and stretched her limbs. She had just woken up, and she felt much better than the previous night. The soft bed really helped; she felt a lot less sore than she had the previous night. She rubbed her eyes and was stretching her legs when her foot bumped into something. It was only then that Karin remembered just where she was and who was also in the bed.

Karin turned bright red. She couldn't believe what she had done. She was so tired last night that she hadn't even thought of what she was doing. She fully understood now though. She had just slept, without invitation, in Toushiro's bed, and alongside Toushiro to boot! She felt incredibly embarrassed, and wondered if she should just leave now. She glanced at a clock across the room, and saw that it was getting late. Rangiku would come by to take her to her training soon, and she had to get ready. She glanced at Toushiro, knowing that she would have to wake him up to tell him. She gulped nervously before speaking.

"Toushiro?" she whispered, "Toushiro?" He didn't stir, so Karin gently nudged him with her foot. The bed was so big (and both Karin and Toushiro so small) that her foot was only able to reach Toushiro's ankle, but it was enough to wake him up. He groggily shifted in place, not opening his eyes but clearly awake.

"Toushiro," Karin whispered again.

"That's…Captain Hitsugaya… Now go away," he mumbled, groggily waving his hand at her.

"Toushiro, I need to get ready to go," Karin said.

"Then go," Toushiro said, his eyes still closed.

"I need to take a shower, can I use yours?"

"Whatever, just go away," he grumbled. Karin rolled her eyes. He may act mature during the day, but when he was still half asleep, Toushiro acted just like a little kid.

Karin got out of bed and walked towards the bathroom. When she arrived, she was pleased to see that Toushiro had a very splendid shower. Evidently the Captains had access to particularly nice facilities. Karin took off the clothes she slept in and turned on the shower, stepping into the water as soon as it had warmed up. She sighed contentedly. The warm water felt quite nice, and it soothed her still slightly sore muscles further. She grabbed some soap and washed herself off, enjoying the clean feel of it. She had gotten rather sweaty the previous day from all of the work Momo had made her do, and it felt nice to wash herself off.

She thought about the day ahead of her. It would probably be just as harsh as it had been yesterday. Momo was clearly quite serious about the matter. Rangiku had insisted that Momo was a kind, sweet girl, but Karin certainly didn't see it. If Momo really was the way Rangiku had described her, she was intentionally not showing that side to Karin.

After she had finished showering, Karin got out and dried herself off. She put her clothes back on and exited the washroom. When she walked out, she smelled something coming from the kitchen. She followed the smell, and soon found herself looking at Toushiro sitting at the table with coffee, toast and eggs in front of him.

"You're up I see," Karin said.

"Yeah," Toushiro said. He reached for his coffee cup and took a sip.

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking coffee?" Karin asked.

"I'm ten times older than you."

"Yeah, but you look about my age, maybe even a little younger," Karin said with a small smile, "So, can I have some of your eggs?" Toushiro didn't say anything, instead pointing across the table, where Karin just noticed was a plate of eggs and toast.

"You made some for me? Thanks!" Karin said, sitting down and pulling the food in front of her. She promptly ate her food, only just realizing how hungry she was. She was soon finished, and smiled broadly at Toushiro.

"Thanks, I really needed that. Trainings probably going to be brutal today, so I need all the energy I can get," she said.

"Uh-huh…" he said disinterestedly.

"That Momo girl is really tough. I wasn't expecting that training with her would be so difficult."

"You're lucky. Momo Hinamori is a strong Shinigami. You should be honored to be trained by her," Toushiro said, his voice expressionless.

"Yeah, I keep hearing that, but she's still really rough, and she hasn't done anything that I've seen to earn the reputation she supposedly has," Karin said.

"She's skilled, take my word for it. You haven't been around Shinigami enough. Hinamori, like the other Vice-captains, is a powerful fighter. She may have the physical form of a young girl, but she is a warrior, an executive officer of an entire division, and a brave ally. The average Shinigami cannot even begin to compare to her." As he spoke, there was a knock on the door.

"That'll be Matsumoto," Toushiro said, "You can go now; she'll take you to your training."

"Um, okay. Bye! Thanks for letting me stay here!" Karin said, running over to greet Rangiku.

---

"Good, you're here," Momo said, "Are you ready for your second day of training?"

"Yes Vice-captain Hinamori…" Karin said apprehensively. She wasn't really looking at Momo, instead focusing on a large number of objects set up on the training grounds that looked like an obstacle course. She didn't dare ask about it, but it still dominated her attention.

"Okay, first we'll do warm-ups. Drop and do twenty push-ups," Momo ordered. Karin immediately complied. Luckily, she had always been good in her gym classes, so she was fit enough to do this without much difficulty.

"Now do twenty jumping-jacks," Momo ordered. Karin stood up and began doing jumping jacks. When she was done, Momo said, "Now twenty sit-ups." Karin tiredly got on the ground and did sit-ups. This was tiresome, but at least it wasn't as difficult as the exercises from yesterday. Still, it was somewhat dull. She would have preferred something more complex that didn't feel like something from gym class.

"Good," Momo said when she finished, "It is important to keep yourself in good physical condition. I personally work out about an hour each morning, but for you it should be sufficient to do those exercises two or three times a day. I recommend that you perform them before bed and when you wake up in the morning. Next, we go back to this." Momo pulled out the orb that they used in their practice last time, causing Karin to groan.

"You know how this works. I'll even cut it down to one hundred laps instead of two hundred. Okay, begin!" Momo handed Karin the orb, and she hurriedly filled it with reiatsu and ran to the two trees where she had done the exercise. She ran back and forth between the trees, trying to keep a steady flow of reiatsu as she did so. She was doing better than last time, but it was still incredibly difficult and tiring.

"Stop!" Momo suddenly shouted. Karin stopped, panting for breath.

"Am…am I done?" she asked tiredly.

"No, you've only done eighty laps, but it will be enough for now," Momo said, "I need you to conserve at least some reiatsu for the next task."

"Next task?"

"Indeed. You see that set up over there," Momo pointed to the numerous objects that were set up in a half circle around the training area.

"Y-yes."

"That's an obstacle course."

"Yeah, I sort of figured that," Karin said dryly.

"You will navigate that obstacle course, understood?" Momo said. Karin nodded.

"Yeah, okay," she said. She ran over to the front of the course. She was glad that the exercise would be like this. She had done obstacle courses before, and she was pretty good at them too.

"I'd rather not sit around and talk, so let us begin. You'll have to figure out how to do things correctly. If you mess up, I'll stop you and you'll start over again. One…two…three…begin!"

Karin immediately began. The first obstacle was a concrete tube that acted as a tunnel. Karin got on her knees and crawled through it. When she was out, she ran to the next obstacle, a rope swing. With a running start, she jumped off one side and grabbed onto the rope, swinging to the other side. Next were a set of monkey bars. She grabbed onto them and began swinging between them. When she reached the other side, she went on to the next part, a series of eight tires. She ran over them, but just as she reached the other side, Momo used Shunpo to cut her off.

"You did it wrong. Start over," she said.

"What did I do wrong?" Karin asked.

"You're supposed to step on the ground in each tire. You just ran on the tires. Start over."

"But you never said-"

"My word is final. Start over again."

Karin groaned in annoyance. "Fine, whatever." She ran back to the starting line and started over. She crawled through the tunnel, swung across the rope swing, went across the monkey bars, and finally arrived at the tires, which she carefully navigated this time, making sure to do it correctly. After this was a balance beam, which Karin got on top of and walked briskly across. When she reached the other side, she ran the short distance to the next obstacle, a short wall a little taller than her. She jumped up and grabbed onto the top, pulling herself up and over the wall, jumping off and landing awkwardly. Wincing at the pain in her ankle, she groaned a little when she noticed that there were a series of tall walls next, each about four meters high.

Grumbling to herself, she went up to the next wall, where there was a rope tied to the top. She grabbed onto the rope and climbed up with a little difficulty. When she reached the top, she saw that there was a large pad on the ground on the other side. She leapt down, landing on the pad, which cushioned the fall. She ran up to the next wall, this one with a ladder attached to it. She climbed up the ladder to the top, by this point beginning to feel quite tired. There was a ladder on the other side of the wall too, which she used to climb down. The next wall didn't have ropes or ladders, just a series of rock-shaped protrusions that presumably were meant to be used for climbing up.

She ran up and grabbed onto several of the protrusions and began pulling herself up. This was much more difficult. She used all her strength to pull herself up from one protrusion to the next, using her feet to keep herself in place. With a great degree of difficulty, she managed to climb to the top of the wall and get to the other side. She was in a daze for a moment before running ahead to the next part of the obstacle course.

The course went in a semi-circle, arriving a short distance from where it started. Karin was quite tired by this point, and her limbs were sore from all of the work. Individually, most of the obstacles seemed quite easy, but when done together in quick succession, they were extremely tiring.

"That was…adequate," Momo said. Karin gave her a slight glare, a bit put off by the statement that the physically taxing ordeal was merely 'adequate'. Nevertheless, she didn't voice her irritation.

"What next?" she asked.

"Next, you will do the course again, only this time, you will be doing it by sense alone," Momo said.

"What?" Karin asked, but Momo did not respond. She raised her hand so that her outstretched palm was facing Karin. There was suddenly a bright flash of light, after which everything went dark for Karin. She fell down in her panic, rubbing her eyes frantically as if to assure herself that they were still there. Her vision was completely gone. Even though her eyes were open, she could not see a thing.

"What's going on? I can't see!"

"I've taken away your sight," Momo said. Karin gave cry of panic.

"What?! You've blinded me? Why did you do that? How could you do that? When Ichigo finds out about this-"

"Relax, it's only temporary. Do you think that I'd actually blind you?" Momo said. Karin calmed down a little upon hearing this, but was still rather upset.

"But why did you blind me 'temporarily' then? Are you just trying to mess with me or something? Are you enjoying putting me through this kind of thing?!"

"That is no way to speak to a Vice-captain," Momo said sternly, "You will follow my directions without complaint."

"Fine! What are your orders, _Vice-captain_ _Hinamori_?" Karin said, putting extra emphasis on her formal title.

"I already told you. Run through the obstacle course."

"But I can't see! How am I supposed to-"

"I will not tolerate any further questions! Go!"

Left with no other option, Karin ran forward to the obstacle course. She could only hope that her memory of the obstacles would be enough to help her navigate it. She soon bumped into the concrete tunnel, at which point she got on her knees and crawled through. Next came the rope swing. She roughly knew where it was from memory, but when she jumped, she was only able to brush her fingers against the rope, and she fell down into the dirt. She heard Momo shunpo to her side.

"Start over," she ordered.

"I know, I know…" Karin groaned. She shakily stood up, trying to remember where she had begun. Not being able to see anything was extremely disorienting. For several moments she just stood stationary, unsure where to go.

"That way, to your left," Momo finally said. Karin turned towards her left and began walking in the direction of the start. As she did so, she suddenly crashed into something and fell down. She thought she recognized it as the concrete tunnel, but wasn't sure. As she got back up, Momo suddenly grabbed her arm and led her towards the starting line, apparently tired of waiting.

"Now this time, do it right," she said. Karin didn't respond to her as she began the course again. She crawled through the tunnel and went to the rope swing, this time careful to ensure she was in the right spot before jumping for the rope swing. In doing so however, she had to slow down before jumping, meaning she did not have as much momentum when she grabbed the rope. She ended up just swinging in the center of the structure. At this point, Momo grabbed her by the back of her robes.

"Since you apparently will never figure this out on your own, I'll spell it out for you plainly," she said, "I covered all of those obstacles with my reiatsu. You will have to sense that reiatsu to navigate the course." She shunpoed Karin back to the starting line, putting her down to start over again.

Sighing, Karin began again. She tried focusing on the reiatsu, but she couldn't see it. When she was calm, she could vaguely sense reiatsu, but in her tired, stressed out state, it was exceedingly difficult. She highly doubted that she would be able to sense reiatsu well enough to navigate the course. After crawling through the tunnel and emerging at the other side, she began running towards the rope swing. This time however, something was different. She felt a strange, invisible force in front of her. She ran straight towards it without thinking, and it was only after she had instinctively jumped that she realized that this was the feeling of the reiatsu Momo had put on the rope. She grabbed onto the rope and swung across, finally landing perfectly on the other side.

She had no time to celebrate however. She immediately ran the short distance towards the monkey bars that were next. She grabbed onto them and began swinging between them. She tried sensing the reiatsu that was supposedly marking them, but had more difficulty than she had with the rope swing, and ended up using only her sense of touch to swing across them. Next were the tires, which she could just barely sense, but not nearly well enough. She had to slow down to nearly a walk as she went over them, carefully positioning her feet into them by memory alone. She came to the balance beam next, which she only noticed when her ankle bumped into it.

She lifted her foot to climb onto it, but ended up putting too much weight on the side, subsequently off of it. She tried again, this time lifting herself onto it correctly. She carefully put one foot forward after the other, trying to navigate it. She swayed and almost fell off several times, but managed to make it to the other side in the end. After she got off of the balance beam, she ran forward to the next obstacle, nearly crashing into the short wall, which she quickly scrambled over. She then went to the next wall, where she grabbed onto the rope and began pulling herself up. She put one hand over the other while climbing the rope, slowly going up. When she got to the top however, she lifted her hand up to grab at the rope even after it had ended. With nothing to grab onto and her other hand already loosening around the rope, she fell backwards off the rope, hitting her head painfully as she landed on the ground.

---

_Karin's mind was blurry. She vaguely felt a coldness surrounding her and water on her face. She still couldn't see anything, but the sounds she heard were enough to make up for it. She could hear violent winds gusting and waves crashing in the distance. Sometimes she could hear the booming sound of thunder over the howl of the wind. Where was she?_

_Suddenly there was a bright flash, the first thing Karin had seen since Momo used Kido to take away her sight. The bright flash was followed by a loud crack, indicating it was probably lightning. Karin blinked her eyes several times and was relieved to find that her vision was coming back. It was blurry, but she was beginning to regain her sight. Now that she was able to see again, however, she became even more confused._

_She was standing on a rocky shoreline. She had barely noticed her first few minutes here, but she was now aware that it was raining heavily, and that combined with the spray of the sea had left her completely soaked. It was dark, so her regained vision was of limited usefulness, but she could tell that the sky was dark and cloudy, and that behind her were a series of steep cliffs that trapped her on this rocky shore. She was very confused. She had been training with Momo just minutes ago, but now she was here in this strange place._

_Karin suddenly noticed something. Off in the distance was a shape unlike that of the rock formations. She instinctively ran towards it, feeling strangely drawn to it. As she ran, there was a flash of lightning that illuminated it, revealing it to be a sailing ship resembling a 15__th__ century Portuguese caravel. What it was doing in a place like this, Karin had no idea. The fact that it was not moving with the rough ocean indicated it was probably beached. Karin ran as close as she could to it, staring up at the old wooden ship._

"_Hello?" she shouted as loud as she could, "Is anyone there?" There was no answer, but a flash of lightning a few minutes later revealed that there indeed was someone there. The outline of a man against the stormy sky was visible for just a moment before things went dark again._

"_Excuse me, who are you? Where am I? What's going on?" Karin shouted over the rain, wind, and waves._

_The figure spoke, but Karin could not hear a word of it, as the howl of wind and the crashes of waves blocked the sound out._

"_I'm sorry, I can't hear you!" Karin shouted._

"_Wel…gi…no…begin…mo…liv…this…wol…forev…spir…"_

"_I can't hear what you're saying!" Karin yelled. Just then a particularly large wave came crashing, on the shore, engulfing Karin and knocking her down._

---

Karin coughed and sputtered, spitting out water and blinking her eyes to clear them.

"Good, you're awake."

"Wha…wha…what ha…happened?" Karin stuttered, shivering and looking around frantically. It was gone. She was back at the training grounds with Momo.

"You passed out after hitting your head," Momo explained, putting a cap back on a bottle of water.

"But…but I was on a coast somewhere! There was a storm, and a ship, and…"

"I assure you, you were here the whole time," Momo said.

"I… Very well, I understand," Karin said, the memory still vivid in her mind.

"You've been knocked out for a while, so we're going to do the obstacle course one more time," Momo said.

"No way! Again?" Karin said in exasperation.

"I beg your pardon?" Momo said.

"Look, there is no way I can go through that course without my sight! You're asking the impossible, I bet nobody could do what you're asking!" Karin protested. Momo looked like she might be angry for a moment, but then smiled.

"Very well, I'll take that bet," she said. Momo reached into her robes and pulled out a piece of cloth, which she then tied around her eyes. By the time Karin realized what she was doing, she had already started. She went through the tunnel swiftly, emerging from the other end running. She jumped to grab onto the rope swing without pause, landing on the other side already running. She went across the bars and through the tires. She climbed over each of the walls swiftly and without apparent effort. Soon she had navigated the entire course, and arrived back at where Karin was standing. She took the cloth off from her eyes and looked at Karin with a triumphant look on her face.

"You see, it is possible. A skilled Shinigami can still fight even without the use of his or her eyes, and keep in mind that in real battle, the opponent will try to hide their reiatsu, not intentionally use it to mark obstacles. You must learn this if you hope to become a Shinigami."

"But how do I learn it?" Karin said in frustration, "You're not exactly being clear with your aims, you're just giving me one exercise after another! Are you ever going to actually _teach_ me anything?"

"Of course I will, but only when you're ready. Your reiatsu and physical strength are not yet sufficient for regular training," Momo said, "Now, since you refuse to go through the obstacle course again, you'll just have to do this for the remainder of our time." She pulled out one of the glass orbs that they used during their exercises, causing Karin to shudder.

By the time they were done, Karin was absolutely exhausted. She felt like her muscles were going to explode. All of the reiatsu she had built up was gone, and her limbs were stiff and sore from the physical exertion. Momo had watched her the entire time, not letting her stop to rest even once.

"Rangiku Matsumoto will come to retrieve you soon," Momo said, "That is all for today, but before you go, I have something for you." She held up a large, heavy book and thrust it into Karin's hands. "That book contains information regarding a wide variety of basic Shinigami topics. I want you to read it carefully," Momo explained.

"Fine…" Karin said dully. She was really starting to become frustrated. Despite all of the work she had done, she didn't feel like she was getting any better, and the months of training ahead of her were looking increasingly painful. As she stared at the ground panting, she heard the whoosh of shunpo. She looked up, expecting to see Rangiku, but to her surprise it wasn't.

"Toushiro?" both Karin and Momo said at the same time.

"Matsumoto asked me to take you back today," Toushiro said, "She said there was something she needed to do."

"What?" Karin asked.

"How should I know? I have better things to do than keep track of what that woman does," Toushiro said dismissively.

"Whatever you say," Karin shrugged, "So can we go now?"

"Yeah, whatever…" Toushiro said. Karin noticed that he and Momo were staring at eachother for a moment before both suddenly turned away. Toushiro began walking away, and Karin quickly followed after him.

She walked quietly behind him for some time, not saying a word. Toushiro seemed rather brooding, and Karin wasn't sure why.

"So…it's a nice day, isn't it?" Karin said, trying to start conversation.

"It's a lousy day," Toushiro said bluntly, taking Karin by surprise.

"What? But it's all nice and sunny!"

"I know, that's what I don't like about it," Toushiro said.

"You're impossible," Karin said with a little smile.

"Whatever."

Karin snorted with laughter at this, causing Toushiro to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry, you're just… I don't know, you're funny when you act like that," Karin said, "I think I know why that old friend of yours likes to hang out with you. You're really funny when you act this way!"

"Yeah, hilarious," he said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm right, aren't I? I bet you raised quite a few eyebrows when you were a kid. Between your attitude and your hair, you probably attracted attention everywhere you went!" Karin said.

"Unfortunately…"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Karin asked.

"Other children were afraid of me as a kid. The ones that weren't picked on me. Even the adults treated me like a freak," Toushiro said calmly but coldly.

"Oh… I… I'm sorry," Karin said awkwardly, embarrassed at having broached a sensitive subject.

"It was lonely back then. The only people that treated me with kindness were Granny and Momo…"

"Wait, Momo? Momo Hinamori?" Karin said, her eyes wide, "You and her…" Toushiro sighed, immediately regretting his offhand comment.

"Yes, Momo Hinamori. She's the one I told you about before, remember?"

Karin did remember. Toushiro had mentioned her when watching the sunset. All of those times he had watched the sunset, he had been thinking of Momo. Karin would never have expected that the friend he had vaguely mentioned in the past was none other than Momo.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" she asked, "I've seen you all these times, yet you never mentioned that she was the one you were talking about?"

"Does it really matter? I don't have an obligation to tell you everything there is to know about my life," Toushiro said.

"But still, that's a pretty big thing that you kept from me. You say that you and her have been friends ever since you were little kids?"

"Yes, she and I lived together with our Granny and-"

"Wait, Granny? You two…you two are siblings?" Karin said in shock, "Momo Hinamori is your sister?"

"No, not exactly," Toushiro said, "Remember, in Soul Society it is rare to find one's real family. Momo and I aren't related, we just lived together with an old woman that we called Granny. I suppose you could call us adoptive siblings, but that's not entirely accurate either. Let's just say that she's a very dear friend and leave it at that."

"If that's the case, do you think you could talk to her?" Karin asked.

"About what?"

"About the training. She's been really tough, and she's coming off as rather mean. Do you think you could just talk to her and ask her to be a bit more reasonable?" Karin said, "Just…ask her to be a bit more understanding."

"I'm afraid that can't be done," Toushiro said.

"Why not?"

"Momo and I had a bit of a falling out, unfortunately," he said, "We haven't really talked to eachother or anything in a while. I don't think I could just go and talk to her about something like this."

"What caused-"

"I don't want to talk about it, alright?" Toushiro said wearily, "I just…it's a delicate issue and I'm doing everything I can to solve it, but I'm not interested in talking about it."

"Fine, if you're going to be stubborn about this, have it your way," Karin said.

"I'm sorry if you think that, but I can't help you with this. Besides, I probably shouldn't be doing favors like that for you anyways," Toushiro said.

"But Momo, she's being…" Karin trailed off, not wanting to insult someone who Toushiro cared about so much.

"She's not trying to be mean to you, she's just doing her job. She was assigned to train you, and she's doing what she thinks will help you the most with your training. Shinigami training is difficult after all, both for the instructor and the learner. She's not intentionally being mean; cruelty does not exist in her heart. She probably feels that she needs to be a bit rough on you to train you properly. Just try to understand that everything she says and does during your training is all in an effort to help you. Over time, you two will forge a close bond, and you'll grow to be quite fond of eachother. Until then, I have confidence that you'll make it through the more difficult aspects of training. You're a tough girl after all, you can handle it."

"Thanks Toushiro, I understand," Karin said with a smile. Toushiro nodded and gave a rare smile back as they walked off towards the quarters she shared with Rangiku.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to Taeniaea, blackwitchkarma, nexuswarrior, Hinata-cutie, war90, Thunder Claw03, Ladiie-Angeliie, Chillis, Shirochan21, chiharuSAICHI, Photophopic, Reven Firebane, The Great Pineapple MEKI, The Catch, Hikari Droflum, and DigiPal for reviewing! A lot of people seem to be enjoying this fic, I'm going to have to start updating faster lol. Please review!


	15. Chapter 15

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter Fifteen_

Momo slumped into a cushioned armchair, taking a deep breath. She looked over her cozy apartment while absentmindedly playing with a lock of her chocolate brown, almost black hair. Her mind was unfocused, with random thoughts entering and leaving her head. She thought about what she would be having for dinner, then about repainting the walls, and then about trimming her hair. Inevitably, the thought of training Karin came up. At this thought, Momo sighed and reached into her robes and pulled out a small flask. She was just raising it to her lips when a loud voice interrupted her.

"Hey, I thought you weren't drinking anymore!" Rangiku Matsumoto called cheerily from the window. Momo jumped a little, nearly spilling the contents of the flask, and looking up in surprise.

"Rangiku? What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.

"I just thought I'd drop by to see how you were doing," Rangiku said.

"Why didn't you just knock on the door?"

"I dunno," Rangiku said absent-mindedly, "But back to what I was saying: Didn't you give up drinking after you found out about that tattoo we gave you? Remember, we told you that we all got drunk and we put a tattoo on your-"

"Yes, I remember," Momo said shortly, her hand reflexively covering her rear in embarrassment, "Would you like to come in?"

"I'd love to!" Rangiku said cheerily.

"Okay, just go over to the door, I'll open it for you," Momo sighed, getting up to open the door. When she did so, Rangiku pranced in cheerily.

"So, what are you drinking? Anything good?" she asked.

"It's golden rum. I suppose you want some?" Momo said wearily.

"Yes please!"

Momo tucked the flask back into her robe and walked off to the kitchen, returning with the drinks a few minutes later. She handed one of the glasses to Rangiku, who was now sitting on the couch.

"Cheers," she said dully, raising her glass and taking a drink.

"You seem a bit down. Anything bugging you?"

"Just the usual…"

"So how is Karin doing? She was pretty worn out yesterday," Rangiku said.

"Training to be a Shinigami isn't easy. It's a long, grueling process."

"Are you using any particular strategy for training her?" Rangiku asked.

"No, not really," Momo admitted, "I figured that I'd start out by just building her up physically and training her reiatsu manipulation and sensory before getting to actual combat training. I'll be honest, I'm having a tough time with it. I'm only one person; I can't provide her the same experience as the Academy. Ordinarily there's a lot of preparation before a student is given actual training. I remember back at the academy, we had to submit to an entrance exam testing our strength and physical fitness, then go through a week of academic studying before we actually started. Most students were barely able to do anything at first. At our early _Way of Destruction_ classes, only myself and Izuru were able to hit the targets at first, and only us, Renji, and a few others were able to keep up with classwork. It's a difficult process, especially when only one person is providing the training. This would be a lot easier if Karin were a high-reiatsu fast learner like her brother or a prodigy like Toushiro - sorry, _Captain Hitsugaya_."

"But she's _not_ Ichigo or Captain Hitsugaya," Rangiku said wisely, "You have to train her in a manner designed for _her_, not Ichigo or the Captain."

"And how am I supposed to do that? I don't have any experience with training or teaching. If she were already a Shinigami and I were assigned to teach her advanced Kido or something, I could probably do it, but this is entirely different! Karin Kurosaki has no prior experience in Shinigami matters or combat! The things you've taught her are virtually meaningless as far as serious Shinigami are concerned! She's a civilian, and I was assigned out of the blue to transform her into someone who can function within a military organization! I can't do it! What were they thinking when they assigned this to me? Everything I've done _feels_ right, but how can I be certain? There were tons of teachers in the academy and numerous aspects to training. I can't provide that kind of training on my own! I should have just accepted the prison sentence, then at least I wouldn't have had to deal with all of this stress! I mean, look at me! I'm only a few days into this and I'm breaking down worse than the kid I'm supposed to be training!"

"Calm down Momo," Rangiku said soothingly, putting a hand on her shoulder, "Just take a deep breath and clear your head for a moment." Momo did as she was told closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, calming herself down. When she opened her eyes again, she was considerably calmer, and looked a little embarrassed over her outburst.

"Sorry," she said, "I just…sometimes I suddenly get that way. I don't know why."

"It's okay Momo, I understand why this is stressful for you," Rangiku said.

"I…I suppose you'd like me to answer your question more calmly now?" Momo said with a nervous laugh, "You asked about how Karin was doing… I should have said this before, but she's doing great."

"That's good to hear," Rangiku said.

"Yeah, she really surprised me. She has a long way to go of course, but she's making progress. Today I had her do an obstacle course without her sight, and she was actually able to sort of see the course. I wasn't expecting that. The intent of the exercise was for her to fail so that she would see how important reiatsu sensory is. She did fail of course, but she got a lot further than I would have expected. It was subconscious on her part. She knew roughly where one obstacle ended and another began. She probably thought it was just from her memory that she was able to do that, but in reality she was subconsciously sensing the reiatsu and navigating according to it. It was… unexpected, to say the least."

"I think you'll find that once she's gotten used to training, she will make an excellent apprentice, and a fine Shinigami," Rangiku said.

"I wonder though, is this right?" Momo said quietly.

"Huh?"

"Is it right to make her into a Shinigami? You know perfectly well that being a Shinigami changes a person. If she becomes a Shinigami, she won't be an innocent girl anymore, she'll be a warrior, and made to face numerous dangers. Is it right to train her as a Shinigami when we know that it will have such an impact on her life?"

"Karin is strong willed and a smart girl. If she wants to be a Shinigami, nothing any of us can do will stop her. Besides, if it's not too bold to say, I don't think it's Karin you're thinking of when you say that being a Shinigami changes a person."

Momo gave a half-hearted smile.

"You really know me well, Rangiku," she said.

"I know that you're definitely unhappy about something. Would you like to talk about it?" Rangiku asked.

"I don't think so," Momo said, shaking her head, "I've already talked about this repeatedly with you, Renji, Izuru, Captain Unohana, and Captain Hisagi. It never does any good. I'll feel better for a while and then go right back where I was before. What good will come from talking about it and making myself look whiney and helpless? This is a personal issue, I'll just have to deal with it myself."

"Having a friend to talk to isn't a bad thing, Momo," Rangiku said, "It helps others understand why you're upset, and it will help you in the long term. I want to help you, so please, tell me what's wrong."

"You already know. There are more things wrong with me than I could list. I don't want to have to relive all the pain just to remind you," Momo said a bit harshly, "You…you know what's wrong, but you don't understand! You can't hope to understand! Everything I've been through…it all adds up! I don't even know who I am anymore! I've lost everything. My self-identity, my Captain, my confidence, my friend, my division…all of them are gone. I just don't know what to do, I feel like I'm trapped in a pit with no way to get out!" Tears were coming to her eyes, which she hastily tried to wipe away.

"And now look at me! A Vice-captain, on the verge of tears and wallowing in self-pity! I just…I'm pathetic. When I think of how I used to be, it seems like a different world. I was confident, determined, and happy. I wish I could go back to being that way, but it's impossible. After what happened, I can't possibly go back to the way I was. It's not that I want to go back to being naïve and foolish, I just want to go back to the days where I could be happy and content with my position while still being able to work to improve myself without being discouraged. Now I'm just a mess. Sure, I've grown a bit wiser and more mature, but I'm fully aware of all my deficiencies and faults, and fixing them seems more impossible than ever. And because of my insecurities with myself, I ended up getting jealous of my best friend and losing him! I just…I wish I never became a Shinigami in the first place!" At this point Momo really did begin to cry.

"I just…I just want to go back to the old days, when everything was simple! I want to eat watermelons with Toushiro and watch the sunset! I didn't appreciate those days enough, and now they're gone! Because I went off to become a Shinigami, those days are gone, and both me and Toushiro have been forced to grow up early and become different people! On top of that, being Shinigami has torn us apart! Because I became a Shinigami and dedicated myself to serving that…that evil man, our friendship has ended, and our youth and innocence are over. That's why I don't think it's a good idea for Karin to become a Shinigami! That same thing will happen to her if she is pulled into the life of a Shinigami!"

"Momo, I know you're sad right now, but think: is being a Shinigami really such a horrible thing? You've met new friends as a Shinigami, performed your job enthusiastically, and have become a respected person in Seireitei. You've accomplished so much, yet you so easily dismiss it?"

"That was before…Aizen…" Momo said, shivering a little, "He…he changed everything."

"Aizen is gone Momo, you don't have to be controlled by him anymore," Rangiku said firmly.

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm really no longer in his control," Momo said, "He…he ruined me. He made me into who I am, and then destroyed it on a whim. I dedicated my life to him, and he threw me away like garbage. I don't think I'll ever be able to escape his influence, even after his death. I've tried my best to become stronger physically and emotionally, but it just isn't enough. It's times like this that I really wish I had Toushiro to talk to. He was always much easier to talk to about this sort of thing, but I guess I'll have to accept that our friendship was just one more casualty of Aizen's betrayal. Or, perhaps I should say, _my_ betrayal."

"I imagine that Captain Hitsugaya would still be willing to patch things up with you if you gave eachother the chance. It's silly to stay mad at eachother forever," Rangiku said.

"You don't understand, it's not that we're mad at eachother, it's just that we can't be friends anymore," Momo said, "We're not the people we once were. We've changed too much, and my betrayal of him just proves that we can no longer be friends."

"Momo, you didn't betray-"

"Yes I did!" Momo yelled, "Even before I pointed my sword at him and doubted him, I had betrayed him. When we were children, we always promised eachother that we would protect one another and keep eachother safe. But then I went to the academy and left him on his own. Then when he entered the academy, he went so far beyond me that I couldn't fulfill my end of the promise. He was always the one who protected me. He grew up strong and independent, while I stayed weak and helpless by comparison. Then after Aizen's betrayal, when I tried to get stronger, I began feeling jealous of him. I betrayed our friendship. I…I just…I don't know!"

Rangiku suddenly embraced Momo, holding the crying girl close.

"Shhhh," she said soothingly, "It's okay Momo. Stop blaming yourself for these things. You've gone through horrible pain. But you know what Momo? I think you've been strong and brave in facing it. I know many strong Shinigami who wouldn't be able to continue living after going through what you've suffered. Don't blame yourself Momo, and don't give up hope on yourself or the Captain. Just calm yourself, Momo. Remember who you are, and never forget that your friends will be there for you."

Momo sobbed into Rangiku's shoulder for a few minutes before pulling away and wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I'm sorry Rangiku. I shouldn't have lost myself to my emotions like that," she said, "I…I don't know what came over me just now. I don't even remember everything I said to you or what I was thinking or what else I wanted to say. I'm just…I'm just feeling really messed up. I suppose this is why I'll never be a Captain. When was the last time you saw a Captain crying?" Momo tried to laugh, but it came out forced and hollow.

"Well," Rangiku said slowly, "Captain Hitsugaya for starters." Momo looked up at her in shock.

"Toushiro… No way, you must be mistaken. He would never cry! Even when we were little kids, I never saw him crying. Even when some older boys beat him up and he had to stay in bed for a week, he didn't cry. I cannot even imagine what he would look like with tears in his eyes. Toushiro, like the other Captains, is too strong and noble to allow himself to cry," Momo said.

"It's true," Rangiku replied, "You weren't conscious when it happened. It was after… well, you know…" Momo's eyes widened, and she nodded slowly, immediately understanding that Rangiku was referring to after she had been stabbed and was in a coma.

"He…he cried for me? Even after what I did, he shed tears for me?" she said in shock.

"Indeed. Granted, most people didn't see it, but whenever he visited you while you were unconscious, there would always be some tears in his eyes. He really cares for you, don't allow yourself to think otherwise."

"I… I don't know what to say," Momo said awkwardly.

"Well, I don't know what to say either. I know you're feeling trapped and confused by everything right now, but all I can tell you is to be strong and face everything bravely. I believe in you Momo; I'm positive you can face this."

"Thank you," Momo said, "I…I'll try to keep being strong. I don't know what came over me a few minutes ago, but it's over, and I'm feeling much better now. I'll be strong for the sake of you, for the sake of Karin, and for the sake of my Division. I don't know whether I'll succeed or not, but I won't allow myself to continue crying over my deficiencies."

"That's it!" Rangiku said, slapping her roughly on the back, "By the way, Isane and I are going to the hot springs tomorrow evening. Would you like to come with us? It's really nice!"

"Not tomorrow, but thanks for the offer Rangiku," Momo said with a smile.

"Whatever you say," Rangiku said, "I guess I'd better get going."

"Wait," Momo said, "I, um, was wondering… Do you think you could stop by the Fifth Division, just to see how Ichigo is doing? It's not that I don't trust him, I just want to make sure that the Fifth Division is doing well."

"Sure thing, I'll check and make sure everything is going fine!" Rangiku said, standing up, "I'll see you tomorrow when I drop off Karin then. Bye-bye!"

---

Ichigo carefully filled out paperwork, careful to do things correctly. Rukia watched him, giving him tips from time to time.

"Make sure that you sign your name in the proper place," she would say, or "Forget that one, prioritize which paperwork you should do first!"

"Would you care to volunteer as the new Captain?" Ichigo said irritably.

"Hey, I'm just helping you out. If you weren't doing things wrong I wouldn't need to be here," Rukia said defensively.

"How do you even know these things? You're not a seated officer, so you can't have much paperwork to do," Ichigo said.

"We learned this sort of thing in the Shinigami Academy. They taught all sorts of things, including how to properly fill out paperwork," Rukia replied.

"Academy, huh?" Ichigo said, "Maybe I should go there for a while."

"Don't be an idiot, you couldn't enroll just so you can learn to fill out paperwork!"

"Relax, I was joking!" Ichigo said, "This paperwork stuff is more trouble than it's worth though. Who would have thought that being a Captain involved managing a bureaucracy like this."

"Captains are some of the most important individuals in Soul Society, of course they have a lot of administrative work to do. It's not all fighting and adventures. If you want to be an effective Captain, you'll need to take the job more seriously," Rukia said.

"Hey, I'm not exactly thrilled about being a Captain either, but I don't really have much choice in the matter," Ichigo said, "If I had things my way, I'd return to being a Shinigami representative for Karakura Town. But with Karin here, things have changed. Even if I didn't have to stay to look out for her, I'd still have to stay here or they'll kick her out of Seireitei. If I don't stay to be Captain, they'll put Karin back in Rukongai."

"After she becomes a Shinigami, she'll be able to stay in Seireitei on her own," Rukia pointed out, "You could wait until then before going back to Karakura town."

"No, that will never happen," Ichigo said, "I'll put up with this training she's going through, but I won't allow her to be a Shinigami. That would mean putting her in direct danger. After she's gone through training, I will make sure that she stays in Seireitei and does not become a Shinigami."

"If she wants to, there's nothing you can do about it," Rukia noted.

"Maybe, but I have to try," Ichigo said, "I won't let her put herself in danger."

"Don't speak too soon Ichigo!" a cheerful voice said from being the door. Ichigo and Rukia looked up to see Rangiku peeking in through the cracked door.

"Rangiku? What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh, Momo asked me to check up on her division. She's really worried about the state of things here, seeing as she feels responsible for it and everything," Rangiku said, "So how are things?"

"Pretty good I think," Ichigo said, "I have some paperwork and reports here if you want to check."

"No, I trust your judgment," Rangiku said with a handwave, "So do you want to hear about Karin's progress?"

"Yes…yes I would," Ichigo said.

"You'll be happy to know that while the training is intense, Karin is doing quite well. Momo says that she's progressing quicker than expected. She's even able to partially navigate an obstacle course by reiatsu alone! I personally expect great things of her!"

"There, you see Ichigo? Karin is doing fine," Rukia said.

"Maybe so, but that doesn't change my responsibility. I still have to protect her from danger, and being a Shinigami would mean danger for her," Ichigo said.

"Don't be too quick to decide. Just wait until she's done with her training, I think you'll be quite impressed!" Rangiku said.

---

Karin tossed and turned in bed, in the midst of a strange dream.

_Karin was back on that stormy coast, the lightning cracking, wind howling, and waves crashing. Heavy rain made the stone beneath her slippery, and gales nearly knocked her down on several occasions. She wandered blindly along the coast, wondering where on earth she was. This was only the second time she had seen it, and still she had no idea where it was._

_Karin squinted her eyes, trying to make out the surrounding landscape. The rock seemed to go up at an incline, but given the darkness and heavy rain, she couldn't be sure, and didn't want to risk climbing up for fear of loose boulders. She didn't want to go too close to the water either, lest a huge wave come and drag her out to sea. Her only option was to walk along the coast, between the rocky slope and the shoreline. She looked both ways, seeing no difference between the two. She ended up going left, as that was the direction she had gone last time._

_She walked slowly and cautiously, careful not to trip or fall on the uneven stone ground. The loud thunder and the darkness of this place was highly unnerving. Suddenly, she heard a strange noise and turned around. Right behind her was an enormous crab, at least two meters across and with large, menacing pincers. Karin backed away in panic, with the crab following after her. She didn't know what to do, and was too afraid to run. Where had this crab come from anyways?_

_It was only then that Karin remembered something. She looked down and saw that the sword Rangiku had given her was at her waist. She drew the sword and held it in front of her, facing the crab. Rangiku had only taught her a little bit about swords, and then only with a wooden sword, but Karin thought she could beat an animal like this._

_Just as she was about to attack, a bolt of lightning came down right in front of her, hitting the crab and throwing her back a few feet. When she looked up, she saw smoldering bits of crab lying on the ground in front of her. As she stood, she realized that she had dropped her sword. She hurriedly looked around for it. At first she groped around for it in the darkness, but then she realized that grabbing blindly at something sharp enough to sever limbs was probably not a good idea. She instead began working to carefully remember where she had dropped it. As she tried to think, there was another bolt of lightning, this one illuminating the ground enough for her to spot the sword lying on the ground._

_Karin hurriedly picked it up, but noticed that it felt a little strange. It seemed to be wobbling in her grip, as if it were being pushed and pulled from multiple angles. Confused, she sheathed the sword and went back to walking along the shore, not wanting to encounter another crab. As she walked, she noticed something in the distance._

_Realizing what it was, she ran towards it. As she got closer, she confirmed that it was exactly what she thought: the old sailing ship she had seen before. She hurriedly ran forward towards the ship. It was in the water, but in shallow enough water that it did not get washed out to see. Karin felt inexplicably drawn to the ship._

_Ignoring the danger of the waves, Karin walked towards the ship, entering the water as she did so. Waves crashed into her, but she paid them no attention, feeling as if she were in a trance. Soon she was at the side of the ship, staring up in awe. Even in the dark, she could tell that this was a fine ship indeed._

_As she admired the ship, she suddenly snapped back into reality, and realized that she was now nearly chest deep in water during a massive storm. No sooner than she realized this, a massive wave crashed down upon her, knocking her down and dragging her down. Karin was sure that she would be pulled into open water and drown, but miraculously, her hands caught hold of something._

_A rope, coming seemingly from nowhere, was now in her hands. With all of her strength, Karin pulled herself up by the rope, lifting herself out of the water. Gasping for breath, she looked up and saw that the rope led up to the side of the ship. Gripping the rope, she began to pull herself up. Waves continued to crash into her, knocking her back and forth, and the wind caused her to sway with the rope, but she did not stop climbing. She was cold, wet, and sore, but she did not stop._

_After much effort, she had arrived at the top. She only needed to pull herself up onto the deck of the boat. This was not as easy as it sounded however. She was already tired, and she would now have to pull herself up by grasping a slippery plank of wood, without the aid of rope. She tried several times, but between the slippery wood, her tired state, and the constant waves and wind._

_Eventually, Karin realized that she would not be able to do this, and instead continued to cling tightly to the rope. The waves and wind threw her back and forth, but she didn't let go. She stayed where she was for hours, listening to the wind, water, and lighting. As the time passed however, the storm became less severe. The winds died down and the lightning became less frequent. The waves crashing into her were less and less intense. After holding onto the rope for a long time, the storm had passed, and Karin found herself looking at a pink-tinged morning sky._

_There was then a clunk just above her. Karin looked up to see a figure standing on deck above her. In surprise, Karin's grip on the rope loosened, and to her unfortunate luck, a wave crashed against her at that same moment. Karin fell down into the water with a crash just as the mysterious figure spoke. She could not make out the words, but she was at least able to get back up in the somewhat calmer waters._

"_Excuse me?" she called back at the figure, "I couldn't hear you! Say that again!"_

"Okay! Get up Karin, it's time to go!"

Karin's eyes opened and she gave a small jolt. She looked around in confusion, no longer at the side of a boat in cold, chilly water, but in her comfortable bed, wrapped up in pajamas and blankets.

"What…what...what's going on?" she asked shakily. Only just noticing Rangiku standing over her.

"It's time to go to your training!" Rangiku said, "Come on, I'll cook breakfast for you before we go!"

"Oh… Okay, thanks…" Karin said, once again puzzled by the strange dream.

----

"Now do thirty sit-ups!" Momo ordered.

"Yes Vice-captain Hinamori," Karin said wearily. She was once again doing training exercises as instructed by Momo.

"Be sure you sit up all the way, not just part way," Momo said.

"Yes, I know," Karin said. The exercise was tiring, and while she tried to keep in mind what Toushiro had told her the previous day, but she was still extremely tired, and it was hard to not become frustrated with the seemingly repetitive exercises.

"Stop! Stand up and jog in place!" Momo said. Karin stopped doing sit-ups and stood to jog in a stationary position. Momo circled around her, observing her closely.

"Move forward two feet," she said. Karin immediately complied. "Now move back! Good…now move to the left… Forward… Back… Left… Left… Back… Right… Forward…"

She continued with this, ordering her to change position as she jogged in place. It was almost more difficult than actual jogging, as she had to constantly think about it while doing the physical movements.

"Okay, now we'll try something else," Momo said as Karin ran, "While you're running in place like that, I'll move around you. I want you to keep an eye on how far away I am from you right now. That's how far from me I want you to stay. When I move forward, you move back. When I move to the side, so will you. When I circle around you, you turn to remain facing me. Understand?"

"Y-yes," Karin said, by now quite tired and unsure if she could keep this up.

Momo gave a nod to indicate that she was starting. Almost immediately Karin knew that this was more difficult than it sounded. Momo moved forward, and she instinctively moved back, but had to quickly turn as she ran in place, for Momo had just circled around her by ninety degrees. She stepped back, then forwards moments later, nearly throwing Karin off. She continued this practice, growing faster with her movements and moving in patterns more complicated for Karin to keep up.

Karin was growing tired from running, and her focus was beginning to slip as she panted. Momo moved forward then back several times, before circling around her and then moving to the side and back. Karin followed her carefully, making sure to move in just the right manner. Then Momo moved to the right and back, and Karin moved in the proper manner. Immediately after finishing that however, Momo abruptly moved forward and to the right of Karin. Karin couldn't keep up in time, and to her shock and dismay, Momo struck her in the side with the back of her hand, causing her to fall down.

"Why'd you do that?!" Karin asked angrily.

"That was to drill in the point of why it's important to be quick when you're following an enemy," Momo said, "What we were doing just now were movements similar to what two opposing warriors would practice. That is what this exercise mimicked. You moved too slowly and didn't track your opponent well enough, and you got your side cut open because of it. Congrats, you just got killed." Karin glared at her, not appreciating that comment much.

"So now what?" she asked, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.

"Now it's lunch time, though you won't be eating seeing as you were just killed in battle. Do push-ups and jumping jacks until I'm finished."

At this point, Karin was very upset, as she had been looking forward to lunch and did not think it fair that she was denied it over a simple mistake. She followed Momo's orders and did basic exercise while Momo ate, but she didn't like it at all. When Momo returned, she was beginning to feel as if she would never get along with her.

"Now we will be doing a different exercise. This one will aim to increase your ability to focus and keep track of your surroundings," Momo said, "First, I'll be moving you to that patch of dirt over there." Momo led Karin over to an area where the grass was absent, replaced by dust and dirt. She put her foot on the ground surrounding it and dragged it around, creating a large circle. As she did so, Karin felt a strange feeling coming from her, and was unsure what to think of it.

"I concentrated my reiatsu into the circle," Momo explained, as if she heard Karin's unspoken question, "Now the next part…" Momo ran off and returned moments later with a large sack. She opened it up and turned it over inside the circle, revealing its contents as a large number of black and white marbles. They seemed to be repelled by the reiatsu Momo had put around them. They remained an even distance from the edge of the dirt circle.

"Your task is to walk around on these for fifteen minutes. However, you must not step on the black ones. If you do you'll be sorry. Oh…and take your shoes off," Momo said ominously. Karin complied, and she hesitantly walked onto the marbles.

It wasn't comfortable, and the marbles constantly rolled around under her feet, but she thought she could do this task correctly. There were more white marbles than black marbles, and with some care, she was able to walk around them. She managed to walk on the marbles for some time, successfully keeping her feet out of contact with the black marbles. She was becoming confident, and felt that she would actually be able to perform this task without flaw.

As she walked around however, her bare foot accidentally touched one of the black marbles. There was a loud pop and the next thing Karin knew she was staggering around on the marbles, her foot in great pain. As she staggered back, she stepped on more black marbles, causing more pops and making her feet hurt even more. Panicking, she ran off the marbles, several more popping noises occurring before she had escaped. She pulled herself off the dirt and onto the grass, staring at her feet in shock.

Her feet were covered in sores and blood. In places they were only blistered and burned while in other areas the flesh was hanging off in ragged pieces. She breathed heavily, pain and shock overcoming her.

"Wh-wh-what…why…how…?" she muttered in a disoriented manner.

"That should be obvious. As you no doubt realize now, the black marbles explode upon being touched. This teaches you the value of always keeping an eye on everything around you. Because you lost focused for just a second, you are now hurt. That is the lesson this teaches you," Momo said.

"Lesson…?" Karin said quietly, anger welling up inside of her, "Lesson?! You call this a lesson! Look at what you've done to me! How… how can any person possibly think that this is a good way to teach someone?"

"A harsh lesson is sometimes necessary," Momo replied.

"This goes well beyond harsh!" Karin said, shakily standing on her injured feet, "Don't…don't think I don't know what's going on! I tried to tell myself that you only had my best interests at heart and were just being strict, but this…this is downright sadistic! The only explanation I can think of is that you hate me for getting us into trouble. I'll readily admit it, I caused you trouble when I convinced you to take me to Seireitei and then to Karakura. I admit it, I caused you problems, but that doesn't give you the right to torment me under the guise of training!"

"I have no such motivations," Momo said coolly, "Now go put some ointment on your feet and we'll begin our next exercise."

"Forget it. I'm not going to go through any more of your sadistic 'training' methods!" Karin yelled.

"That is not an option for you," Momo said, "We both agreed beforehand to go through with this training, and both of us will see it through to the end."

"Why should I train under you any longer? You have no intention of teaching me; you just want to cause as much distress as possible. Rangiku and Toushiro spoke highly of you, but I don't see anything in you than someone who uses her position over others to exact revenge."

"You're being irrational. Now come on, I'll accept no more excuses. If you do not, I'll be sure that it is harsher than ever for you."

"Like hell you will," Karin growled, angrily raising her hand in preparation for something she had never done before, "Bakudo number 4, Hainawa!"

A yellow rope of energy appeared, wrapping itself around Momo, locking her arms in place. Karin breathed heavily, never having used Kido before. She felt a sense of satisfaction, which turned to fear when she realized what she had just done. She had attacked a Shinigami Vice-captain! She nervously looked up at Hinamori, who to her great surprise was smiling.

"I'm impressed. So you did read that book I gave you. I am indeed impressed that you figured out how to use Kido on your own. However, I'm afraid that you chose the wrong person to try such a spell on," Momo said calmly. A pink glow surrounded her, and suddenly the air itself became heavy. Karin was nearly knocked down by the sudden force. She stared up in shock at Momo, for the first time feeling fear of the girl that was to be her master. The energy ropes around Momo disintegrated as she released her reiatsu. Karin had known that as a Vice-captain, Momo was certain to be a strong Shinigami, but never had she imagined that the physically unimposing girl could be so terrifying.

"Bakudo 63, Sajo Sabaku!" Momo said. Large chains of glowing yellow energy appeared and surrounded Karin, immediately tightening around her, completely restraining her. She fell to her knees, futilely struggling against the Kido spell.

"You should think things through next time," Momo said, "Not only did you use Kido to attack someone you know to be a Kido master, you also attacked a Vice-captain. Did you know that under the laws of Seireitei, I would be within my rights to kill you right now?" Karin gulped at this, causing Momo to give a small laugh. "Don't worry, I have no intention of killing you. If I did, I'd have a hard time completing your training."

"Why are you doing this to me?" Karin asked quietly.

"Because it's my job. Despite what you believe, I really am doing this to help you. It may be a punishment, but I intend to do everything in my power to train you as a Shinigami."

"Then why are you so cruel in your training methods?" Karin said loudly, "You've gone from rough to downright brutal! What kind of master treats their apprentice in such a manner? Why do you treat me like this? I'm not asking that you go easy on me, but why can't you treat me with a little kindness?!"

"Because my master treated me with kindness," Momo said quietly.

"Your master?" Karin said quietly. Momo nodded.

"He was always kind and gentle to me, said things to make me feel special, and made my time working under him filled with happiness. But then it all fell to pieces. Because of his treatment of me, I was greatly weakened, both emotionally and physically, and became completely dependent upon him. I never had to deal with stress, so when it occurred, it overwhelmed me. You must face reality: Being a Shinigami is hard. You'll face much more difficult things than what I put you through here. You'll face danger, stress, and pain, and you must deal with it. You must learn to be strong, independent, and able to face adversities before you become an effective Shinigami. Let me show you why this is so vital."

Momo began untying the front of her robes, catching Karin by surprise as she sat on the ground bound by the Kido spell.

"Whoa! What exactly are you doing?" she said apprehensively. Momo paused for a minute.

"I'm showing you why it's important for you to be strong," she said simply.

Momo opened the front portion of her robes, revealing a horrific scar on her chest. Karin stared at it in shock. It was relatively small, but was clearly from a horrible injury. Several thin scars surrounded it, suggesting surgery that was done in treatment of the wound.

"Now do you see?" Momo asked quietly, closing her robes, "Being a Shinigami isn't a game. You have to be strong. It would be very easy for me to be kind and gentle to you – in fact, a few years ago that probably would have been exactly how I'd have done this training - but I know that doing so would cause more harm than good in the long run. Please forgive me for being harsh, but I won't let you go through the same traumas I went through. I'll be tough on you, but believe me when I say that I really do intend to help you.

Karin stared at her for several minutes, unsure what to say.

"I…I…" she stuttered.

"It's okay, you don't have to say anything," Momo said, her voice softer now. She waved a hand and the Kido chains surrounding Karin vanished. "There's ointment that you can use for your feet in a bag by the gates. I…think I'll be going now. Consider yourself released early." Momo began walking away, but Karin called out after her.

"Wait! Could…could you tell me what happened? How did you get that scar?" she asked. Momo turned and looked at her with sadness in her eyes.

"I'd…prefer not to talk about that. If you must know, you can ask Rangiku. Tell her that I give permission for her to talk about it," she said, "Now if you'll excuse me, I must be going now."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to Sonnie, Chillis, Diamond Ice, The Catch, chiharuSAICHI, war90, nexuswarrior, Thunder Claw03, blackwitchkarma, KnightoftheWord, Photophopic, SasukesGirl, ocean81g, Psyco101, Hinata-cutie, Hikari Droflum, Shirochan21, The Great Pineapple MEKI, and DigiPal for reviewing! Please review!


	16. Chapter 16

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 16_

"Just let me add a little more bandaging aaaaaaaaand we're done!" Rangiku said cheerily, "Your feet will be good as new in no time!"

"Thanks Rangiku," Karin said gratefully.

"No problem. I'm surprised that Momo did something like that. I'm going to have to talk to her about it; this is taking it too far," Rangiku sighed.

"That's okay, you don't need to do that," Karin said.

"I probably should. Ichigo would be really unhappy if he found out about this," Rangiku said.

"Which is why I'm not telling Ichigo about it," Karin said firmly.

Karin was lying down on the couch, her blistered feet now wrapped up in bandages. The ointment given to her really helped too. The sores on her feet healed quickly. It was now several hours since she had received them and they were already largely healed, with only the largest ones still remaining. Her feet were still sore, but they weren't nearly as painful as earlier.

Though she was upset about what had happened, she wasn't as angry about it as she had been earlier. The things Momo had said had left Karin with many questions and quite a bit of confusion, but it also made Karin feel a bit less bitter towards her. She hadn't really explained anything clearly, but what Momo had said made Karin more inclined to believe that she really did want to help Karin. Karin wanted to learn more about Momo, and hoped to ask Rangiku about her some time.

"Hey Karin, would you like to go to the hot springs with me?"

"Huh?" Karin said, snapping out of her thoughts.

"Would you like to go to the hot springs with me?" Rangiku said again, "I'm going with Isane Kotetsu, another Vice-captain, and I'd like you to come with us!"

"I don't know…" Karin said.

"You'll love it! The hot springs are a fantastic place to relax! They're therapeutic too! I'm sure you'll enjoy it!"

"Well… Okay then, I suppose I'd might as well," Karin said.

"Excellent! I was going to meet her there in about half an hour, but if we go early we can have some of the free snacks they give out!"

"Sure, okay. Do I, erm, need a bathing suit or something?" Karin asked awkwardly. Rangiku laughed at this.

"No, of course not! I reserved a spot at the hot springs, so there won't be anyone else there. You don't need to worry about anything," Rangiku said reassuringly.

"If you say so…"

"Well what are we waiting for then? Let's get going!" Rangiku said, grabbing Karin by the wrist and leading her out.

Rangiku carried Karin while using shunpo to arrive at the hot springs in quick time. When they arrived however, they were surprised to see three people standing outside the springs, one of whom Karin recognized as Rukia.

"Isane? What are you doing here early? And why are Kiyone and Rukia here too?" Rangiku asked in confusion.

"Well, I mentioned to Kiyone that we were going to the hot springs, and she wanted to come along. Then she invited Rukia. I hope it's not a problem," Isane said.

"Oh no, of course it's not a problem!" Rangiku said, "The more the merrier! As you can see, I brought along someone extra too." She gestured at Karin.

"That's fine. Shall we go in then?" Isane asked.

"I think so," Rangiku nodded.

They went inside. The attendant in the lobby, after providing them with towels, quickly directed them outside to an area enclosed with bamboo fencing. Karin found it to be quite amazing. The ground was stony, and there was a large pool of steaming water in the outdoor enclosure.

"Enjoy yourselves," the attendant said with a bow, closing the door and leaving them. Rangiku seemed to be bursting with excitement.

"Oh boy, I love this place!" she said happily. Before Karin had even finished taking in the sight of the place, she had taken off her clothes and jumped into the hot spring.

"Come on in guys! The water is great!" she called. Karin, Isane, Kiyone, and Rukia followed after Rangiku, though they took the time to actually fold their clothes before getting in.

When Karin stepped into the water, she was pleased to find that it felt terrific. The hot, steamy water made her skin feel warm and tingly. It was very relaxing, and as Rangiku had suggested earlier, it made her sore feet feel a bit better.

"Ahhhhhhh…" Rangiku sighed, stretching her limbs in the water, "This is simply _exquisite_! There is no better feeling in the world than soaking in hot springs! There's only one thing missing…"

Rangiku suddenly stepped back out of the water and ran to her clothes, which she had thrown randomly on the ground. She rummaged through her discarded robes, pulling out a small jug and returning to the water. She lifted it and grinned.

"Sake," she said happily, "Now everything is perfect." She opened the jug and began drinking.

"Um, Rangiku, are you sure that's a good idea?" Karin asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, of course it is?" Rangiku said, "Why wouldn't it be?"

"She has a point," Isane said, "When you're going to be spending a lot of time in a hot spring like this, it's probably not a good idea to drink large amounts of alcohol. A little bit maybe, but not large quantities."

"Why not?"

"Well, the heat of the hot springs makes some people light-headed, and combined with heavy drinking… It's just not a good idea. Besides, if you pass out while in the water…"

"Oh, don't be such a worry wart!" Rangiku laughed, "Alcohol is always good. There is no bad time to drink, it's always pure goodness!"

"But what about when you're-"

"_Always_," Rangiku said firmly. They watched as she took a long drink of sake, putting it down and grinning.

"So, um, what would you guys like to talk about?" Isane asked.

"How about 'who is the sexiest man in Seireitei'?" Kiyone suggested.

"I'm not sure that's really appropriate, maybe instead we should-"

"That's a great idea!" Rangiku chimed in, "Okay, here's how we'll do it. We each rate the male Captains and Vice-captains of each division on a scale of one to ten."

"Great idea! We'll start with Captain Ukitake," Kiyone said, "I rate him 10/10!"

"No, we'll go numerically by division number," Rangiku said, "Is that clear with everyone?"

"Yeah," Rukia said.

"Works for me," Isane said.

"Oh, okay…" Kiyone grumbled.

"Okay, first off, Captain-commander Yamamoto."

"Zero! Zero! Zero!" they all said at once. They looked at eachother before bursting into laughter.

"Okay, maybe we should cut out the ones who are unquestionably un-sexy," Rangiku said, "That means no Captain-commander Yamamoto, no Omaeda, no Captain Kurotsuchi, and no Akon. We probably shouldn't do Komamura either. That would be…weird. Let's start with Izuru Kira."

"I rate him a six," Kiyone said, "He's nice and all, but not really 'sexy'. Plus he always acts so depressed."

"I disagree, I think he is a strong person and a great Shinigami," Isane said, "I say eight."

"Eight sounds good," Rangiku nodded.

"I'll compromise between you and say seven," Rukia said.

"Okay then, the fourth division doesn't have a male Captain or Vice-captain, so we'll go straight ahead to the Sixth…"

"Hey! We do have some males!" Isane said, "We have Yasochika Iemura, Hanataro Yamada, and Harunobu Ogido, for example."

"We're talking about the hottest Captains and Vice-captains," Rangiku said, "Besides, those guys aren't that hot. Iemura is just weird, Hanataro is cute but not sexy, and Ogido is just a pretty boy."

"Hey! I think Hanataro is cute and that Ogido is really sexy!" Kiyone protested.

"Well as I said, we're talking Captains and Vice-captains, so it doesn't matter," Rangiku said with a wave of her hand, "Now, onto Captain Kuchiki…"

"Oh no! No, you are not rating how attractive you think my brother is! Not while I'm around!" Rukia said, "You can do it later, but I don't want to hear about how sexy you think my brother is!"

"Pfft, whatever you party pooper," Rangiku laughed, "I'm getting tired. Let's just finish this some other time."

"Can we still do Captain Ukitake? He's definitely a ten!" Kiyone said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Rangiku said, taking another drink of sake.

"You should slow down with that stuff," Karin said, but Rangiku was not listening, as she was busy staring down at herself and poking her breasts in the water.

"I never noticed before, but they float!" she laughed, "My boobs float!"

"Have you ever heard of modesty?" Rukia said, rolling her eyes. Rangiku ignored this.

"This is great! I'm always having back problems from the weight of them, but when I'm like this they just hang suspended in the water! I never knew that they floated like this! I must have not been paying attention! Or maybe it's just they're as big as mine and in hot water, they float differently than most people's. How are yours Isane? Are they floating too?"

"Don't stare!" Isane said in embarrassment, covering her chest with her arms.

"But you're the only one with a big enough chest to compare to!" Rangiku protested, "Kiyone and Rukia are too flat for this!"

"Hey! I'm not flat!" Kiyone protested.

"Neither am I! I just have some growing to do!" Rukia said.

"Yeah, but right now you're flat by comparison to me, which is why I need Isane!"

"You're crazy!" Kiyone said, "And why didn't you mention Karin, she's just as flat as us! I mean normal! None of us are flat! I mean…our size! She's the same as Rukia, why didn't you mention her?" Karin blushed a little at this.

"Because she's still young," Rangiku explained, "Karin still has a lot of growing to do, and I'm sure she'll soon have a figure comparable to me! Until then, I need someone to compare boobs with, so Isane, please stop resisting and tell me if your boobs float!"

"I don't want to!" Isane protested.

"Well that's what friends do. They show eachother if their boobs float! I need to know if it's normal or if it's unique to me! Come on, do it!" Rangiku said. Isane grumbled a bit but slowly removed her arms from her chest.

"Oh, so that's it! I get it now!" Rangiku said, "Thanks, you really helped answer my question!"

"Just don't ask me something like that again," Isane blushed. Rangiku merely laughed and took another drink from the jug of sake.

"Um, Rangiku? Do you think I could ask you a question?" Karin said hesitantly.

"Yeah, sure," Rangiku said lazily.

"Earlier I was talking with Momo… I mean Vice-captain Hinamori," Karin corrected herself, remembering that there was another Vice-captain present and that she should be formal, "Anyways, I was talking to her, and she said some things that I don't quite understand."

"Like what?" Rangiku asked.

"Well… I asked her why she was being so harsh on me and why she didn't treat me with kindness. I still don't understand her answer, but it made me feel really…strange. She mentioned something about her old master and then showed me this horrible scar."

The other women present glanced nervously at eachother.

"You know what this was about, don't you?" Karin asked. Rangiku looked away, suddenly seeming much more sober than she had a few minutes ago.

"That's a very… grim topic. I don't think it should be discussed in such a nice, relaxing place," Rangiku said.

"Please Rangiku, I really need to know this. I just want to understand her a bit more. I was angry at her before, but now I can't stop thinking about wanting to know more about her," Karin said.

"It's a private matter, I don't think I should be telling you…"

"But she specifically said it was okay. She said 'If you must know, you can ask Rangiku. Tell her I give permission to talk about it.' Those were her exact words!" Karin said insistently. Rangiku sighed.

"Do you really want to know? It's a very grim story."

"I want to know. I need to know. I can't train under Vice-captain Hinamori without understanding her!" Karin said. Rangiku sighed again.

"Okay then, I suppose I'd better tell you," she said, "Do you remember what I told you before? About the man who betrayed Soul Society and waged war on us?"

"Yes," Karin said quietly, recalling what Rangiku had told her in the past, "Aizen." Rangiku nodded.

"Aizen was Momo's master."

"What?!" Karin said in alarm, "Him? He was her master?" She had known that she would likely receive a shocking answer, but she had no idea that it would be anything like this.

"Yes, Aizen was Momo Hinamori's master, Captain, and mentor. When she was at the academy, Aizen saved her and several other students from a hollow attack. It was then that she began idolizing him. While in the academy, it was her goal to serve under him and be useful to him. Over the years, her idolization of him grew and grew. When she graduated, she was immediately taken into the Fifth Division. There she worked her way through the ranks, eventually becoming Aizen's Vice-captain. He encouraged her idolization of him and used her as a part of his plans."

"Why didn't she notice that something was up? Shouldn't a Vice-captain be able to see through such a ruse?" Karin asked.

"You don't understand, you've never seen Aizen. He is a master of manipulation, and his Zanpakuto allowed him to create perfect illusions. Nobody had even the faintest idea that he was a traitor. He was as powerful as Captain-Commander Yamamoto, but his greatest weapon was his mind. He was an incredibly dangerous man, and unfortunately for Momo, she ended up a victim of his schemes," Rangiku explained.

"What happened?" Karin asked.

"I already told you about Rukia and your brother's first interactions, correct? Well it was decided that Rukia was to be taken in and executed. But it wasn't the decision of the Central 46, that is, Soul Societies governing body, at all. Aizen killed them, and issued fake orders to have Rukia executed for transferring powers to a human and staying too long in the human world. I won't get into the details of his plot, but long story short, he tricked the Gotei 13 into trying to execute Rukia and your brother and his friends invaded Seireitei to rescue her. You've got that, right?"

"I think so…" Karin said, a little bit overwhelmed by all of the new information being given to her.

"Well, during the confusion of the intruders, Aizen was apparently murdered," Rangiku said.

"Murdered? But you said-"

"It was an illusion cast by his Zanpakuto," Rangiku said, "It was fake, but it was real enough for the Shinigami, including Momo. She was absolutely devastated by the 'death' of her Captain. She had dedicated her life to him, and he had been suddenly taken away. She attacked a Captain she suspected of the murder in an emotional rage. After being intercepted, she was taken into a holding cell. It was there that I made the biggest mistake in this matter…"

"What happened?"

"Aizen left a letter addressed to Momo. Captain Hitsugaya and I decided to deliver it to Momo rather than use it as evidence. I took it to her in her jail cell. I thought it was a gesture of kindness, but by giving her that letter I unwittingly inflicted the greatest cruelty of all. The letter was a sham. It blamed Captain Hitsugaya for everything, including Aizen's 'murder'. Captain Hitsugaya was-"

"He was her childhood friend, he told me," Karin said, by this point entranced by the story.

"Momo was confused. She was emotionally vulnerable and would of course believe her Captains letter. She went out and attacked Captain Hitsugaya. She was a mess by that point. Believing her Captain to be dead and her best friend his murderer completely unhinged her. She felt that it was her duty to fulfill her Captains 'last wish' by killing Captain Hitsugaya and avenging her Captain, but the love she felt for her friend was equally strong. Her mind was in complete chaos by then. Fortunately, Captain Hitsugaya was able to knock her out more-or-less unharmed. After that though…"

"What?" Karin asked again. Rangiku sighed heavily.

"Aizen appeared before Momo shortly after that. She was so relieved to see him alive that she immediately ran to embrace him," she said, "While she hugged him, Aizen stabbed her."

Karin stared at Rangiku for a moment, horrified by what she had been told.

"He stabbed her?" she whispered in shock and horror. Rangiku nodded.

"He stabbed her and left her to die. Captain Hitsugaya confronted Aizen shortly after that and was nearly killed himself. It's a miracle that they're both alive right now. Luckily for them, Captain Unohana and Isane arrived shortly afterwards and were able to save them."

"It was a horrible sight," Isane commented, "Aizen's blade had gone all the way through her chest and nearly severed her spinal cord. There was blood everywhere, and we thought she was dead when we first found her. She wasn't breathing and had lost nearly half of her blood. If Captain Unohana hadn't been there, she would have certainly died. Even with Captain Unohana's treatment, she ended up in a coma."

"When she did wake up, she was completely broken," Rangiku said, "The man she idolized had betrayed her. Along with the guilt she suffered from attacking Captain Hitsugaya, that rendered her completely emotionally crushed. Captain Hitsugaya forgave her of course, but the guilt was still unbearable for her. Worse, Aizen had been manipulating her for so long that at first she thought that Aizen was still good and that he was being manipulated. She was traumatized and in denial. Of all the horrible things Aizen did, none were crueler than what he did to Momo."

"She's gotten much better, but she's still suffering from some of the effects of the betrayal," Isane said, "She has trouble sleeping and sometimes has flashbacks involving Aizen. Captain Unohana diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder. We gave her medication to help her sleep and overcome the psychological effects of Aizen's betrayal, but I don't think she uses them. It's not surprising really; Aizen was one of the most prominent figures in her life. With him gone, she feels that all of her memories of her time as a Shinigami are tainted. In addition, she still carries guilt from her conflict with Captain Hitsugaya, which just makes it worse. She's made huge progress, but I doubt she'll ever be quite the way she used to be."

"Is that why her and Toushiro aren't friends anymore?" Karin asked, "Toushiro said that they had a falling out, is that what caused it?"

"Sort of," Rangiku said, "While Momo felt very guilty for doubting her old friend, Captain Hitsugaya never held it against her. What really caused their friendship to become so strained were the psychological after-effects of Aizen's betrayal. Captain Hitsugaya felt guilty that he hadn't been strong enough to protect Momo and felt the desire to protect her more than ever. Momo on the other hand felt ashamed that she wasn't strong enough, and tried to become stronger and more independent. Momo began feeling inadequate though. After Aizen's betrayal made her feel weak and powerless, she began to see Captain Hitsugaya as too far beyond her to maintain a friendship with. He's a prodigy after all, and one of the most gifted Shinigami in the history of Seireitei. Momo felt that she couldn't compete with him, and that she was useless. This led to bitterness and jealousy, even though she felt guilty for it. Captain Hitsugaya meanwhile felt frustrated that Momo was trying to be independent of his help. He felt that it was his duty to protect her, and was surprised when she wanted to be more independent of his protection. He was also probably upset that she didn't properly recognize him for the hard work he did to become Captain. I think it was a misunderstanding on both of their parts, but in any case, they had a fight and ended up with their friendship too strained to survive. It's really complex and I'm not sure I really explained it well, but that is basically what happened."

Karin stared into the water. She had no idea that Momo had gone through so much. The mere idea of something so horrible happening was nearly unthinkable. Momo had been through so much, yet she still managed to be strong enough to continue her work as a Vice-captain, and even being able to handle taking Karin as an apprentice. Karin knew that she probably wouldn't have been able to do all of that. She felt guilty for feeling animosity towards Momo earlier. She didn't realize how difficult Momo's life had been.

"Karin?" Rangiku said quietly.

"I…think I'll be going now," Karin said, stepping out of the water and wrapping herself up with a towel, "I'll meet you back at your home."

"Okay. Do you know the way?"

"Yes, thank you," Karin nodded, "I guess I'll get going now."

Karin dried herself off and put her clothes back on before leaving the hot springs. She did not leave in the direction of Rangiku's apartment however. She went the opposite way, in the direction of the Fifth Division. She only vaguely knew the street layout, but she was able to find the main street that led to the Fifth, and she still remembered the place from when she was first taken to Seireitei.

It was a long walk, and the dark streets slowed her pace, but she was eventually able to reach the Fifth Division area. She thought of going to see Ichigo, but decided against it. He was not the reason that she came here. She walked through the empty streets until she eventually found her way to the building she was looking for. It was the first place she had been in Seireitei, Momo Hinamori's private quarters. Karin took a deep breath and reached her hand out to knock on the door.

"What are you doing here?" a voice quietly asked.

Karin jumped and looked up to see Momo sitting on the edge of the roof.

"I, uh, I just wanted to-to come and see – I mean talk to you. If you're not busy of course," Karin said nervously.

"What did you want to say?" Momo asked softly.

"I just wanted to say… I'm sorry," Karin finally said, "I'm sorry that I've been difficult. You already have enough on your plate, and then I come in and make everything more difficult for you. Then I complain and make things even more troublesome for you. I know I haven't exactly been the ideal pupil for you to train, and I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Momo said, "Perhaps I was too harsh at times. I've never really had somebody to train, and I felt that if I wasn't absolutely and unwaveringly strong, I wouldn't be able to do it properly. I've been considering what you said before, and I'm starting to agree that this whole thing isn't working out. I'm thinking of maybe requesting the Captain-Commander to give me a more conventional punishment."

"No! You can't do that!" Karin said, "It was my fault that you got in trouble, I can't let you go to prison because of it! Besides, I've been thinking, and I've decided that I want you to keep training me! I won't complain anymore and I'll work my hardest! Just please give me another chance!" Momo was silent for a minute before jumping down from the roof so that she was standing in front of Karin.

"You really mean that?" she asked.

"Yes! I… I understand why you were acting the way you were. I know I complained sometimes and didn't do as well as I could have, but I really do want to get stronger! I don't want to be powerless and force others to look out for me!" Karin said. Momo nodded quietly.

"I understand completely. I will continue training you."

Karin nearly hugged Momo, but restrained herself and instead gave a deep bow.

"Thank you, Vice-captain Hinamori. I won't disappoint you."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to blackwitchkarma, war90, Photophopic, Reven Firebane, Hinata-cutie, randomguy24, Chillis, ChiharuSAICHI, Hikari Droflum, Thunder Claw03, nexuswarrior, Ladiie-Angeliie, The Great Pineapple MEKI, and Shirochan21 for reviewing! Please review!


	17. Chapter 17

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter Seventeen_

* * *

Uryu Ishida sat in a park bench holding a newspaper. He was not reading it however. Instead, he was looking out of the corner of his eye at Yuzu Kurosaki, who was playing nearby with several friends. He didn't like having to constantly keep watch over her, but he had promised Ichigo that he would look over his sister, and his pride and honor as a Quincy would not allow him to abandon the task. That didn't mean he had to like it though.

Ichigo's father, and to a lesser extent Yuzu, were driving him nuts. They were constantly asking him into their house and would not give up the delusion that he was romantically interested in Yuzu. This was just plain creepy in Uryu's opinion, as Yuzu was several years younger than him. He didn't care about how mature she supposedly was, he wasn't into girls her age. Of course, from their perspective he probably seemed like he was interested in her, given the amount of time he spent around her. He couldn't just explain to them that it was his duty to protect them from hollows, so of course it would seem like he was attracted to Yuzu.

This of course brought up the question of what the hell Isshin Kurosaki was thinking. Most fathers would be at least a little concerned if an older boy was apparently stalking his young daughter, but not Isshin. He actively encouraged them to get together in a relationship, and unfortunately Yuzu was taking his words to heart and had developed an apparent crush on Uryu. Things were getting way too weird for Uryu's tastes…

"You want me to take over for you?"

Uryu looked up to see Yasutora Sado standing behind him. He stood up to greet him.

"Oh, hello," he said politely, "Are you saying that you'd like to watch over Yuzu now?"

"Yes, you've been doing more than your fair share of work," Sado said, "Take a break; I'll look after Yuzu."

"Thanks," Uryu said with relief. He said his goodbyes to Sado before walking off.

Uryu sighed in relief. So much of his time was spent looking after Ichigo's sister and father that he had little time of his own. Not that he had a lot of things to do, but it was nice to be able to actually have time to himself. He didn't have anything he particularly wanted to do, so he simply walked around aimlessly. As he walked down the street, by chance he quite literally bumped into Orihime, falling to the ground.

"Oops! Sorry Uryu!" Orihime said, grabbing Uryu's arm to pull him back up, "I wasn't looking where I was going!"

"That's okay," Uryu assured her, "No harm done."

"I still feel bad though. How about you come over to my place for dinner! I'll make you something to eat as an apology!"

"No, no! That's quite alright!" Uryu said quickly, well aware of what Orihime's cooking was like.

"Oh fine then…" Orihime said, apparently disappointed that she would not get the chance to cook extra food tonight.

"Well, I guess I'll be on my way then," Uryu said curtly.

"Wait! I was wondering Uryu… Do you know when Ichigo will be coming back?" Orihime asked. Uryu turned to her.

"I don't see why I would know something like that," he said.

"Oh… I was just wondering because he hasn't talked to me much lately. I'm not sure he'll ever come back here. He seems to have found his place, and it's not here," Orihime said sadly.

"Don't be too certain about these things. With Ichigo, nothing is certain."

"Maybe, but I don't see why he'd come back. He's going to become a Captain soon. Even if he wanted to bother coming back to this world, he wouldn't be able to because of his duties as a Captain. Things just feel different around here without Ichigo around."

"He'll do what he must," Uryu said, "Not that I care about the affairs of Shinigami, but I suspect he doesn't really care for the job. He's doing it out of obligation more than a desire to be a Captain."

"Obligation to what?" Orihime asked.

"Think about it. What was one of Ichigo's most important desires? To protect his sisters. As it stands, he has failed that goal in this world, and I imagine he intends to make up for it by staying in Soul Society to protect his sister Karin. He feels the responsibility to look out for her there, as he was unable to do so here," Uryu explained.

"I guess you're right," Orihime said, "It's really sad though; what happened to Karin, I mean. She had her whole life ahead of her, and it was taken away just like that. It's a true tragedy…"

"Yes, but at least she's managed to make her way safely to Soul Society and Seireitei. She'll be safe enough there, and hopefully live a fairly comfortable afterlife," Uryu said.

There was an awkward silence for a moment. Orihime watched Uryu carefully. He seemed to be focusing on something, but Orihime did not know what.

"Uryu, are you-"

"Orihime, get back!" Uryu suddenly yelled. He grabbed Orihime and pulled her away just as some sort of intense blast hit the place they had been standing. Dust rose into the air, obscuring their vision. Uryu let go of Orihime a few feet away, his eyes firmly focused on something behind the dust.

"Thanks Uryu!" Orihime said gratefully.

"Don't mention it," Uryu said, not turning, his eyes firmly focused ahead of them. The sound of a females laugh could be heard from behind the settling cloud of dust.

"Wow, that was a good reaction! You're faster than I thought! I guess it's to be expected from someone like you!" the cheerful voice of a girl said.

"Who are you?!" Uryu yelled. The dust had now cleared, revealing the person who had attacked them.

A female Shinigami stood before them. She had orange eyes and dark hair tied up with a ribbon. She carried a strange weapon that looked like a golden staff with rings around one end and a spear tip on the other. She gave them a small smile.

"I asked you a question! Who are you? What is a Shinigami doing here, and why are you attacking us?" Uryu repeated.

"You do not need to know," the Shinigami said. She leapt into the air, staff raised. Uryu quickly formed his Quincy bow, preparing for conflict.

"Orihime, you may want to step back," he said to her.

"Right," Orihime said, backing away to a safe distance. Uryu looked up at the Shinigami.

"This is your last chance! I am not an enemy of Soul Society, but if you persist in attacking me I will have no choice but to fight you!" he said firmly.

"That's okay, because I _am_ an enemy of Soul Society," the Shinigami said.

"What? But aren't you a Shinigami?" Uryu said in confusion.

"Maybe…" the girl said with a silly smile, "You'll just have to find out!" With that, she swung her staff forward. Immediately, a tornado erupted from the tip. It was thin, but it was still clearly quite intense, and Uryu had no desire to get hit by it. He jumped out of the path of the tornado and fired an arrow of spirit energy at the Shinigami. She ceased the tornado in order to dodge the arrow, which came within inches of her shoulder.

"For what purpose are you attacking us?" Uryu yelled.

"It's nothing personal! I'm just doing a favor for someone I owe a great debt to," the girl said, "In fact, I rather like you, though I suppose you probably don't remember me." She swung her staff forward and created another tornado. This time Uryu responded with a blast of dozens of small arrows that forced her to swing the tornado upwards to deflect.

"What do you mean?" Uryu asked, "I have never met you before!"

"Well, we didn't really know eachother very well. It was Ichigo that I spent most of my time with. That's neither here nor there, however. I've come to take you to my master. One of his allies has need of you, and I'm afraid it is my task to kidnap you and take you to him."

"I have no clue what you're talking about, but I'm not going anywhere!" Uryu growled, "I don't know how you know Ichigo, but I assure you that if he were here, he would be taking my side in fighting you!"

"Naturally; he would have no idea who I was," the girl said simply, "In any case, I've been given my task, and I intend to fulfill it."

"That's too bad. I hate to cause you significant harm, but it looks like I have no choice." Uryu began collecting spirit particles in his bow. He drew his bowstring, a large arrow of spirit energy forming. When he released it, it flew towards the girl at an extremely high speed. She tried to dodge it, but was only able to move a little to the side before it hit her.

The shot blew off her entire left arm, and she fell to the ground bleeding and panting, unable to stand up as she watched Uryu walking forward.

"I'm afraid I will have to apprehend you. Since you are apparently a rogue Shinigami, they will be the ones to take you captive," Uryu said. The girl merely gave a pained smile.

"I'm sorry, but that won't happen." A strange bubble of distorted air suddenly surrounded her. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, I was only following the wishes of my master. You were more of a side-objective really, and since you're stronger than we thought, I doubt they'll send more after you. Farewell, Uryu. It was nice seeing you again, even if you don't remember me." The bubble of distorted space collapsed, and the girl disappeared.

"Uryu!" Orihime ran up to him, a concerned look on her face. "What are we going to do?" Uryu thought carefully for a moment.

"We'll go to Urahara. As much as I hate involving myself in the matters of Shinigami, it seems that is our only choice right now," he said.

---

"You're here, I see," Momo said calmly.

"Yes, of course I am," Karin replied.

"Good…that's good…"

"So what are we doing today?" Karin said, "I suppose that first you want me to do the warm up exercises?" Karin's smile was rather forced. Even though she was now more determined to train and had greater respect for Momo, she still didn't like the harsh exercises she was forced to do each day.

"Actually, no," Momo said, surprising her, "Today we'll be doing something a bit different. I've already taught you how to do the exercises, I trust in you to do them on your own time. Today, I'll be teaching you about swords."

"Really?" Karin said, a hint of excitement in her voice. Learning about a Shinigami's primary weapon was one of the things she looked forward to the most.

"Yes. Please draw your sword," Momo said. Karin carefully drew the sword from the sheath at her side. She had only wielded it a few times, and was extremely careful with the weapon. She had practiced with a bamboo sword, but it was nothing like holding a real sword.

"Now tell me, what do you see as special in that blade?" Momo asked.

"Um…It's sharp…?" Karin said awkwardly. Momo could not help but chuckle a little at this.

"No, I mean what do you see in it that makes it unique from other swords?" she said.

"I…I uh…" Karin mumbled, unsure what to say.

"It's a katana," Momo answered for her, "The sword of a samurai in the past, and now the form of a Shinigami's blade. It is among the greatest swords ever to be forged. It is distinguished by its slight curve and single edge. Its sharpness and strength are considered to be among the greatest of any sword. Swordsmiths of old times would put incredible effort into the forging of a Katana. It is truly an amazing sword. It is not, however, the greatest bladed weapon."

Momo reached to her side and drew her own gleaming sword.

"This is a zanpakuto. It takes the form of a katana, but it is much, much more than that. You already know the basics of it I assume, but I thought that I would impress upon you just how important a zanpakuto is. Even the mighty katana that you hold pales in comparison to a zanpakuto. That is because a zanpakuto is not just a weapon, it is a part of a Shinigami's soul. A zanpakuto is a sentient being, yet they share their souls with us. A zanpakuto can purify hollows, send ordinary souls to Soul Society, and increase a Shinigami's power by a vast degree. By conversing and meditating with a zanpakuto, one can grow stronger. A zanpakuto is your greatest ally in battle. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, I think I understand," Karin said.

"Good," Momo said, sheathing her sword, "Now attack me with your katana."

"What?!" Karin practically yelled in shock.

"Attack me with your katana," Momo repeated.

"I can't do that!" Karin protested.

"Why not?" Momo asked.

"Because you're my teacher and I can't hurt you," Karin said.

"Don't worry, you won't hurt me," Momo said, "Now strike me with your katana. Use all your strength to attempt to cut me down."

"I…I'm not doing that," Karin said firmly.

"Oh? I thought you said before that you would do everything I said without complaint?" Momo pointed out.

"I… I did, but-"

"Karin, as your master I order you to attack me with your sword," Momo said. Karin felt like she didn't have a choice now. Closing her eyes tightly, she raised her sword and ran at Momo, bringing down the blade in her strongest swing.

The next thing she knew she was lying on her back, with Momo holding onto the wrist of the hand holding Karin's katana. Karin stared up at her in shock.

"H-how?" she was barely able to ask.

"I'm a Vice-captain Shinigami, it goes without saying that I'd be able to defeat an inexperienced sword user bare-handed. Your technique is greatly flawed, and while I'm sure Rangiku taught you some of the basics, you wouldn't last long in a confrontation right now," Momo said, "Luckily, that's what I'm here for. Now let's try that again." Momo helped Karin up so that she was back on her feet.

"This time, pay attention to the way you come at me. Hold your blade in front of yourself in an aggressive stance before striking," Momo said. Karin held her sword up in front of her, but Momo shook her head and came forward.

"No, no, no, that's not it. Here, let me help you," Momo said, walking over to Karin, "Which of your hands is dominant?"

"I'm right-handed if that's what you mean," Karin said. Momo nodded silently and moved behind Karin and reached around so that her hands were on her wrists.

"Hold your katana with your right hand near the top of the grip, near the guard. You'll want that grip to be as firm as possible, but not so tight as to cause difficulty wielding it. Keep your left hand a little looser, but still holding onto the grip. You'll want to keep both hands on the katana whenever possible for both grip and control. There are some circumstances where it would be prudent to use one hand, but I'll discuss that at a different time. Now, once you've perfected your grip, you'll want to work on your stance. The best way is to be in a position where you'll be able to attack or defend from as many angles as possible, as well as being the most mobile. Keep your legs bent a little, and don't make your stance too wide or narrow. Just try to stay in the position that feels natural. You can hold your Katana pointing up at an angle, straight up, diagonally, or even horizontally in front of you; whichever way works best for you. Now, let's try again." Momo walked back to where she was previously.

Karin held her sword up in front of her, trying to keep it in a position like Momo had shown her. It wasn't easy to find a good position, as she was unfamiliar with how to properly hold a sword for combat. Her practice with Rangiku hadn't gone this far. She tried holding her sword in several different stances, but none of them felt quite right. Finally, she settled on a basic stance with her sword in front of her at a slight angle forward.

"Are you ready?" Momo asked. Karin nodded and approached. This time, she did not hesitate as she had before, as it was clear that Momo would not be hurt by her amateur use of a sword. Karin raised her sword and cut straight down, but Momo predictably dodged this with no effort, and in the same movement that she dodged the strike, got behind Karin and grabbed onto her, indicating that it was over.

"You're too straightforward. Look for my weakest point before striking. Attack where I will be least able to evade and strike back. Don't make it immediately obvious where you will strike, be intelligent with your blows," Momo instructed. Karin tried again, but the result was the same. She ended up in a restraining hold.

"Watch where I step and move. Keep your footwork even to mine. When I move forward, you move back. When I move to the side, you move to the side. Remember to keep an eye where I can move and can't move, and take advantage of that. Also, vary your attack methods to make yourself more unpredictable."

Karin tried to follow Momo's instructions, but again found that she was unable to keep up. Momo was moving around, apparently expecting Karin to follow her, but Karin couldn't keep up with the movements. She tried thrusting her katana forward, but Momo merely pivoted on her feet so as to dodge it and grab onto Karin's hands, immobilizing her. Despite the repeated failures, Karin kept trying. She didn't want to give up, so she persevered and continued without complaint. Eventually however, Momo stopped the exercise.

"Hm, I don't think this is working out," she said.

"I'm sorry," Karin said.

"No, it's not you, I'm just saying that I don't think I'm training you in the best way I can. It goes without saying that you won't be able to stand up against me. After all, it took me fifty years to gain my skills; you can't be expected to pick such skills up quickly. No, I'm saying that I should try a different method of teaching you, one that can help you learn about swordsmanship more effectively. Teaching this is sort of difficult, you have to experience sword fighting before you're able to learn to improve your swordsmanship. I don't think I'm teaching you as well as I could when I'm just repeatedly immobilizing you. We're going to have to come up with a different strategy."

"Like what?" Karin asked.

"Well…there is a technique that can push you to pick up skills at a much faster rate than usual, though I'm hesitant to use it," Momo explained.

"Why?"

"It's an extremely high-stress technique. Some who have tried it have suffered nervous breakdowns. I'd rather not use it if at all possible," Momo said.

"But if we did use it, I'd learn how to fight with a sword a lot faster, right?" Karin asked.

"Well that really depends on you and how fast you're able to pick up on the skills. There are countless aspects to swordsmanship, and I don't think I could teach you all of them. This particular training method makes you experience a situation where you must learn for yourself the various techniques, in a way. It's hard to explain. It is effective though. It may even reduce the time it takes to reach Shikai."

"Shikai? As in…" Karin trailed off, having heard the term vaguely mentioned before.

"Yes, the state you reach when you have learned the name of your zanpakuto. Shikai is a significant enhancement of a Shinigami's power, and once you have achieved it, your power will increase nearly exponentially," Momo said.

"How long does it take to reach shikai?" Karin asked.

"Don't think too much about it right now. Shikai takes time. It was three years before I was able to obtain shikai. Even Toushiro… erm, _Captain Hitsugaya_, took six months before managing to achieve it. You probably won't reach it for a while, though with luck it might come sooner."

"Um…if it's not too much to ask, how _do_ you achieve shikai? I know it's by learning a zanpakuto's name, but how do you do that?" Karin asked.

"It takes time. Most people start hearing their zanpakuto subconsciously in the form of dreams and strange visions. It's tough to explain what it feels like," Momo explained. Karin immediately thought of the dreams she had been having.

"And how do you speak to your zanpakuto and learn its name?" she asked.

"A person is able to communicate with their zanpakuto when they're sufficiently strong enough, as well as determined enough. Force of will is an important factor, as is power and experience. You must achieve internal harmony and gain a degree of control over your powers before you will be able to learn a zanpakuto's name. Not complete control of course, just enough control to make your powers stable. It's different for every Shinigami, so I can't really give you too many details on the process."

Karin nodded silently. She thought of the strange dreams she had been having. Instinctively, she knew that those dreams must have been visions of her zanpakuto and inner world. She was filled with excitement, but also reservation, as she was unsure what would happen next.

"Vice-captain Hinamori, how did you reach contact with your zanpakuto?" Karin asked. Momo paused for a second before answering.

"It was back in Rukongai when I first heard it. At the same time my powers began to develop, I started hearing this whispering voice in my sleep. I didn't know what it was at the time, but after I entered the academy, I learned that it was the voice of my zanpakuto. As I spent more and more time training and gaining control over my powers, the dreams became more and more vivid. Eventually, I was able to see my zanpakuto's true form, a young girl, and I was able to communicate and explore my inner world with her. I couldn't hear her name though, not at first anyways. It was about three years into the academy when I finally managed to learn her name, Tobiume. I was one of the youngest people at the academy to reach Shikai at the time. Of course Toush- I mean Captain Hitsugaya, put me to shame a few years later when he reached shikai after a few months at the academy."

Karin stared at the ground. How long would it take her to reach Shikai? Based on what Momo said, reaching shikai in a few years would be an incredible feat. The excitement she had felt was beginning to fade with the realization that it would be a long time before she would reach shikai. The cold hard truth was that she was comparatively weak right now, not much more than a little girl. It wasn't her fault, but that fact still stung. She desired to get stronger, so that one day she may hopefully be able to compete with those like her brother, Toushiro, Rangiku, and Momo. They were all years beyond her, but the thought of eventually being as powerful as they were was a satisfying one. She yearned for the day when she would be able to take care of herself without needing others to protect her.

"So what do you say? Would you like to try the training method I mentioned?" Momo asked, "It will be tough, but it's effective. If you don't want to go through with it, we can still work with conventional training methods."

"I don't care how tough it is. I want to become stronger, and if this training will help, I'm more than willing to do it," Karin said. Momo smiled at her.

"Very well then." Before she could make another move however, they heard the whoosh of Shunpo behind them. They turned to see Rangiku Matsumoto and Izuru Kira, both looking rather agitated.

"What are you two doing here?" Momo asked.

"There's been an attack in the world of the living. The Captains are convening and the Vice-captains have been instructed to patrol Seireitei in the mean time," Izuru said.

"What kind of attack? It must have been big if it warrants a Captain meeting."

"It was in Karakura town, and the attacker appears to be a rogue Shinigami," Rangiku explained.

"Karakura?!" Karin said in alarm.

"Don't worry, nobody was hurt and surveillance over that area has been increased," Rangiku said, "Come on Karin, I'll take you back to my place. Stay there until this is over. Momo, you have been instructed to watch over the Western Gate. Also, keep an eye out for Captain Hitsugaya. He was out on a mission and may be returning. If he does return, tell him to go to the meeting grounds right away."

"I understand," Momo nodded. She turned and shunpoed away.

---

Toushiro climbed the rocky slope of a hill. Once again he had been sent on a comparatively minor mission that didn't feel important enough to warrant the attention of a Captain. It was little more than inspection of a remote region of Rukongai. The terrain was rough, but ordinary Shinigami should have been able to handle it. He was irritated by the fact that he kept getting sent on missions like this. He was young and his powers immature, but he was still a Captain, and had worked very hard to achieve that rank. He felt that being assigned missions such as this was rather insulting.

Finally he reached a rather flat piece of ground. He looked around at the landscape. Grey rocks dominated the area, with grass and moss being the only plant life visible. The place could be described as either large hills or very small mountains. He looked over and spotted the opening to a cave. He rolled his eyes. Caves were always troublesome spots. Not only were they dark and difficult to safely access, they were often home to hollows. There had been reports of strange things happening in this area, and the culprits were likely hollows. This cave was more likely than not the home to one of them.

Toushiro grabbed onto the hilt of his sword and entered the cave. It was dark, but luckily it was large enough that Toushiro didn't have to worry about hitting his head on overhanging rocks. It was still too dark to see though. Toushiro raised his hand and began focusing reiatsu on it. This was a useful trick that the more powerful Shinigami could perform. The reiatsu gave off a glow around his hand, illuminating the area around him.

Toushiro was immediately glad that he had done this, as the light illuminated the form of a hollow lying straight ahead. Toushiro's hand immediately went to his zanpakuto, but he stopped when he got a better look at the hollow. It was not attacking him, it wasn't even moving. The hollow was completely chained up and restrained. Toushiro cautiously stepped forward. The hollow's eyes were clearly upon him, and it growled and struggled weakly, but the chains held it in place.

Toushiro was baffled. Who had chained up this hollow, and why? Hollows were a rare occurrence in Rukongai; it was only recently that there had been an outbreak of hollow appearances. Surely there was no one in the area who was experienced enough to defeat a hollow without Shinigami assistance. And if they were able to defeat it, why did they imprison it here rather than kill it? It was all very strange.

Toushiro looked at the hollow for a moment longer before drawing his sword. Though he didn't like having to kill a chained up enemy, it was still his duty as a Shinigami to eliminate the hollow. He thrust his zanpakuto into the hollow's mask, cracking it and causing the hollow to dissolve within moments. The chains fell to the ground and Toushiro found himself staring deeper into the cave. Something very, very odd was going on…

Just then, Toushiro suddenly sensed danger, and raised his sword just in time to block a strike from a battle axe. Toushiro turned to see several small figures moving towards him. They were short, no taller than he was, and they were wearing black metal armor. Two more of the figures came at him, one with a spear, another with a sword. Toushiro easily blocked their blows, and was beginning to back up when he saw that three more had come at him from behind, these ones wielding long pikes.

Toushiro grit his teeth. These things weren't very skilled warriors, but they had him outnumbered and trapped. He would have to get to a more open space to defeat them. He charged the one with the axe, delivering a swift blow to its stomach and sending it reeling back. The one with the spear tried to skewer him, but he grabbed onto the handle and pulled it away, using it to knock over the other one blocking his way. He ran out of the cave, where he found two more of the creatures, both wearing heavy helmets and carrying short double-edged swords. They circled around him, waiting for their allies to come out of the cave to join them. When the pike wielding ones came out, they fanned out around him, intending to corner him.

Now taking full advantage of the open space, Toushiro leapt into the air, landing behind the pike-users. Before they could turn around, he delivered blows that dropped them to the ground. One of their helmets fell off, revealing an ugly grey face that looked like some sort of troll. The two swordsmen then attacked, but as Toushiro swung his sword to deflect their crude blades, something flew at him. He twisted himself around to just barely dodge a black arrow that would have hit him in the back. He looked up to see two more of the creatures hiding on the rocks higher up the hill, firing arrows down at him.

Dodging more arrows and the attacks of the two sword-wielders, Toushiro quickly leapt up to attack the archers. The first one he sent tumbling down the hill with a single strike, and the second one was cut down as it pitifully tried to raise its bow in defense. Toushiro leapt back to the swordsmen and promptly defeated them, knocking one down the hill and rendering the other one unconscious.

Toushiro looked over the pathetic beings. What the heck were these things? He had never seen anything like them before. Why had they attacked him? Were they the ones that had chained up the hollow? He would have to report this incident as soon as he got back to Seireitei.

Before he had even put his sword away however, he found himself under attack once more. Two tall warriors dressed in tan robes from head to toe appeared out of nowhere and attacked. One wielded a spear and the other used a strange weapon that had a club on one end and a double-edged axe with a spearing tip on the other. Toushiro used his smaller size to evade the first blow, but it was immediately clear that these beings were far more skilled than the trollish creatures he had just fought. They were completely covered in the tan brown robes, and they wore dark goggles over their eyes.

The spearman thrust his spear downwards, coming close enough to Toushiro to actually go through his Captain's haori. Toushiro brought his sword to the side, cutting the spear in half and raising it to block a blow from the other warrior. The one with the broken spear tossed the broken pieces away and drew a short sabre, which it promptly used to attack Toushiro. Toushiro blocked the strike and kicked that warrior in the chest, sending it reeling back. It was now just Toushiro and the remaining warrior.

Toushiro used his small size and agility to evade the blows, but it was clearly not going to be easy. The warrior's strange weapon was wielded in a manner similar to a quarterstaff. Both ends of the weapon were deadly, and could be used in short succession of eachother. It could club, cut, and spear, and it performed these tasks while simultaneously defending. The warrior would strike with the club, and when Toushiro blocked it would use the sharpened axe blade at the other end. When Toushiro tried to step back, it would use the spear end to thrust.

Toushiro relied on his small size and agility to counter the solid attacks of his enemy. He jumped and ducked and darted around the warrior, attempting to overwhelm it, but unable to thanks to its skillful use of its weapon. Toushiro's zanpakuto, nearly as long as he was tall, was faring poorly against his enemy's versatile weapon. His enemy obviously could perceive the weakness of Toushiro's fighting style. His large zanpakuto necessitated that he keep a slight distance between himself and an opponent, as he couldn't use it effectively when close up to an enemy. This was the basis of his fighting style. His opponent clearly noticed this, and was attacking as close to Toushiro as possible, giving him little room to counterattack. This was making it difficult for him to use his sword in an effective manner. Against this unorthodox fighting method, his zanpakuto was of limited use.

Things soon got worse for Toushiro. The other warrior had managed to get back up, and rejoined the fight against him. Toushiro now had to face both of the warriors. He was still able to use his small size to dodge, but they kept him in such close quarters that he could not use his zanpakuto offensively. With them surrounding him and attacking at extreme close range, he didn't have room to properly use his sword. It was like trying to swing his zanpakuto around in a closet.

Toushiro began planning how he could put some distance between himself and them so he could gain the upper hand in the fight. As he evaded them, a thought struck him. Toushiro dodged another blow from the axe and blocked the other warrior's sword. The club was then swung at Toushiro. Toushiro did not even attempt to dodge it, instead taking it in the chest. He was sent flying, landing on the ground several feet away. The warriors pointed their weapons at him, preparing to finish him off. This was just what he wanted however.

As they approached him, Toushiro leapt into the air, slashing the warrior with the staff-like weapon as he did so. As the greater threat fell to the ground, Toushiro landed behind the sword wielding enemy and immediately took the offensive. Now able to fight on his own terms, Toushiro quickly bested the swordsman. With a powerful slash, he knocked the sword out of his opponent's hands, and then brought his sword down to cut it across the leg, sending it to its knees. Toushiro pointed his sword at it,

"Surrender, you are now a prisoner of the Gotei 13. I will have you explain what you are up to once we get back to Seireitei," he said with authority. The being looked up and spoke in a harsh, barking language Toushiro did not understand. It was a rough and unpleasant language, heavy in consonants.

As Toushiro tried to think of what to do with the warrior, there was suddenly a loud bang, and the entire area filled with smoke. Toushiro held up his sword again, preparing for another attack. Through the thick smoke, he heard high pitched laughter.

"Well! Aren't you an intrestin' one?!" a soft but high pitched voice said.

"Who are you? Identify yourself!" Toushiro yelled, eliciting another laugh. The laughter was much harsher than his voice, and was very distinct. The smoke began to clear, revealing the speaker.

A man wearing a black longcoat stood atop a jet black device that hovered in mid air. His eyes were covered in dark sunglasses, and his blond hair tied into a braided ponytail. He wore a smirk on his face.

"I asked you a question! Who are you?" Toushiro yelled again.

"Oh, pardon me for forgettin' my manners," he said in a soft, slightly feminine voice, "The names Usagi Uzaki. Charmed to make your acquaintance!" He laughed again, shrieking and snorting with manic laughter.

"What is your purpose here?!" Toushiro yelled. Usagi didn't seem to listen to him however.

"Hey! You two! Fall back, you've lost this one!" he yelled. Toushiro looked up to see that the two warriors he had defeated were now standing again and approaching him. He raised his sword in preparation for combat. Usagi sighed in frustration.

"You stupid things never listen to me," he said, "Hey little boy! Do you like to play catch? Well…catch!" Usagi reached into his coat and pulled out a small black ball and tossed it down to them. Immediately recognizing what was going on, Toushiro dashed away for cover. As soon as the black ball hit the ground, a massive explosion erupted through the area, causing the ground itself to shake.

When it was over, Toushiro emerged from within the cave to find that the troll-like creatures, the two warriors, and Usagi nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to Chillis, war90, Photophopic, chiharuSAICHI, sasukesgirl, Hinata-cutie, Hikari Droflum, Thunder Claw03, nexuswarrior, The Great Pineapple MEKI, blackwitchkarma, and Psyco101 for reviewing! Please review!


	18. Chapter 18

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 18_

Murmurs filled the Captains' meeting room. Toushiro had just reported the skirmish in Rukongai, and this along with the mysterious attack in the human world was causing quite a bit of a stir. There had been some odd hollow incidents, yes, but nothing of this nature. Thoughts immediately turned to the 'Aizen incident' which was preceded by numerous strange occurrences like this. The memories of that terrible war were still fresh in the minds of the gathered Captains.

"So what course of action should we take?" Komamura asked.

"I'll increase patrols throughout Rukongai," Soi Fon said, "I've already sent a squad to inspect the area where Captain Hitsugaya fell under attack. They should be returning with evidence shortly."

"Hmm, I would be very interested in seeing said evidence," Mayuri said.

"It will be inspected by the Special Forces before you are allowed to see it," Soi Fon said coldly.

"Nonsense! Those fools will contaminate it!" Mayuri retorted.

"What was that?! You'd better watch your mouth!" Soi Fon said.

"Hey, calm down you two," Shunsui Kyouraku said, "Remember who the enemy is."

"That's just the problem: We don't know who the enemy is!" Toushiro said.

"Hmph, I wonder if these guys would be any challenge for me," Kenpachi said, "They seem to have shaken up the little guy quite a bit…"

"They took me by surprise. That is the only reason they were capable of lasting as long as they did," Toushiro said, bristling at the comment about him being 'little'.

"What of the rogue Shinigami that attacked the Quincy? That merits looking into," Ukitake said.

"Sentries have been positioned near Karakura. If anything else happens, we'll know right away," Soi Fon said.

"It seems imperative to identify the attackers," Hisagi said, "That should be our highest priority."

"That is highly unlikely as long as the Special Forces are the ones collecting the evidence," Mayuri said, "By the time it's brought to me, I will be unable to discover a thing from it. Those people have no training in keeping evidence in a state fit for scientific analysis."

"I thought I told you to shut up," Soi Fon said aggressively.

"Enough!" Yamamoto said, banging his cane against the floor, "This bickering is counter-productive. The thirteen divisions must work together if any progress is to be made. Need I remind you what happened last time there was infighting amongst the divisions? Chaos! If we are not united, we will fall. Is that clear?"

Murmurs of agreement, some more reluctant than others, filled the room. Yamamoto nodded with content.

"Good. Now, as for our response to these actions…"

---

Karin leaned against the arm of the couch, staring at the ceiling. Rangiku had told her to stay here until she had returned. She was feeling rather bored, and was disappointed that her training with Momo was cut short right when it seemed that she might soon begin to make some progress. Oh well, she supposed that she would just have to wait until tomorrow for that. Nothing to do now except relax on the couch…

No wait! What was she thinking? She couldn't just lie around for the rest of the day when she still had the energy to continue training! Even if Momo wasn't here to instruct her, there were still things she could do. She shifted her position on the couch so that she was lying back with her legs bent. She began doing sit-ups, simultaneously focusing her spirit power within her body. This was much easier than when she first tried it. As difficult as Momo's training was, it really did work.

Spiritual power flowed through Karin's body as she exercised. It was a strange feeling, but also a satisfying one. It made her feel…powerful, like she was more than just a little girl. The spiritual energy made her feel energized and strong. She could feel it flowing through her body now. She didn't just randomly produce reiatsu anymore; she was able to focus it throughout her body. Perhaps it was the intensity of the training, but Karin had never really stopped to think of just how much she had improved until the past few days.

As she focused inwardly on her spirit energy, there was a knock on the door. Karin stopped and went to open the door, expecting Rangiku. When she opened the door however, she was surprised to see who it really was.

"Ichigo!" Karin said, resisting the urge to embrace him, "What are you doing here?"

"They didn't invite me to the Captain meeting, so I figured I'd come visit you," Ichigo explained.

"Why didn't they invite you?"

"Because I'm not a Captain yet, obviously," Ichigo said. Karin nodded slowly.

"Um, would you like to come in? I'm sure Rangiku wouldn't mind," she said.

"Yeah, of course," Ichigo said, stepping inside. Karin walked over to the couch with him, where they sat down.

"How has your training been going?" Ichigo asked.

"Okay I guess. How has your acting-Captain job been going?" Karin said.

"Same as usual. Boring, awkward, and tiresome…"

They sat in silence, not sure what to say to eachother. The siblings had never really talked much in the past, when Karin was alive. They would exchange words during day to day life, but rarely engaged in regular conversation. Neither was particularly talkative to begin with, yet they both felt the responsibility to talk now, even if they didn't know what to say. Karin was dead and destined to live the rest of her life in Soul Society, while Ichigo was to become a Captain who would spend the majority of his time here. Being the only family they would have for a long time, they felt the need to talk to eachother.

"I'm, uh, sorry I haven't been able to visit more often," Ichigo said awkwardly, "My daily schedule is busy, and the distance between here and the Fifth Division office is pretty big."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Karin said, "I probably wouldn't be able to see you very often either. Most of my time is spent training, and the rest of it recovering from training." She laughed nervously.

"I hope that Momo is treating you well," Ichigo said.

"The training is harsh, and it was a bit upsetting at first, but I think that things are turning in the right direction now," Karin said.

"Be careful. I still don't like the idea of putting you through this," Ichigo said.

"You don't have to constantly worry about me," Karin said.

"I know. It's just… I failed to protect you before. I don't want you to be put into danger, not when you've already-"

"Ichigo, stop," Karin said, "You don't have feel guilty because I died. I don't blame you at all, and I hold no bitter feelings."

"I know you don't, you were always a tough kid. No matter what happened, you would persevere. That doesn't mean that those around you can't feel sympathy for you though," Ichigo said.

"What are you talking about?" Karin asked.

"It's not fair," Ichigo said, "It's not fair that your life was ended so soon. You deserved to live a rich, full life. It's just not-"

"Stop it Ichigo," Karin interrupted, "I'm well aware that life's not fair, and I'm not going to spend my time angsting over it. It's not that I'm not sad that I died, but there's no point in obsessing over it. This is my life now. I'm not going to obsess over what might have happened had I stayed alive. I'm going to forge a new life in this world." Ichigo stared at her in silence before smiling.

"You're a strong kid, you know that?" he said.

"You flatter me too much, Strawberry," Karin said with a small smirk, "I just want to be in control of my destiny now. Back when I was alive, I never felt like I could control what happened. When Mom died, I couldn't do anything to help. When you were off fighting as a Shinigami, I could do nothing but watch. I want to be in control of my own destiny and not have my path be directed by others. That's why I will continue to train with all of my strength."

"I see," Ichigo said, "You really, truly are a strong person…"

---

Karin swung her katana down in a swift chop, returning to a neutral stance moments later. Momo watched her and directed her on her movements. It was the next day, and Momo was now preparing her for the 'special' training she had promised. Karin had been hoping that she would go through the special training more promptly, but Momo insisted that preparatory training would be necessary first. Thus, she directed Karin in how to wield a katana.

"Make sure that when you swing it, the edge of the blade is straight. If you were to cut an enemy, it would be the difference between lacerations and lost limbs," she said to her.

"Right," Karin nodded. She swung her sword down, careful to keep the blade straight. Though it was a bit dull, Karin found this training more useful than many of the other training methods she had been shown. She felt like she was gaining actual control over the blade.

"Keep your left hand a bit loose and further down the hilt while in a neutral stance. Remember that you can achieve a slightly greater reach with greater speed when you take it off and swing one handed with your elbow straight, but by keeping both hands on the sword and your elbows bent, you'll have greater power and control. Keep your left hand loose on it so you can swing either way!" Momo said. Karin nodded and continued swinging her sword. As Momo explained to her, practicing in this manner both increased her strength and made her more comfortable with using a sword, making her movements smoother.

"Always remember to focus on where you want the blade to go and what you want it to do. In combat, you must make quick decisions on how to swing your sword. One wrong move and you're dead. When defending, you must decide whether to dodge or block, and which way to dodge or how to block. When attacking, you must choose the method to use. Do you want your attack to be a cut or a thrust? If it's a thrust, how far do you want to extend yourself? If you want to cut, will it be a smooth slice, a strong slash, or a heavy chop? By practicing these movements, you make yourself more capable of performing them when needed."

"Right…" Karin said. She went back to practicing.

"Slash and pull your sword back. Imagine that you're cutting and pulling your blade through an enemy's flesh. That is the key to a proper slash: pulling the blade with the strike to create a 'sawing' effect," Momo instructed. Karin performed the movement, slashing forward and pulling the blade back to return it to its original position. She did this repeatedly until Momo told her to stop.

"That's good. Now alternate between a shallow forward slash, a thrust, and a single handed horizontal swipe," Momo said. The repetitive movements weren't particularly exciting, and in fact were rather tiring, but Karin trusted Momo's judgment in training. She kept practicing, not stopping even after her arms became sore from the constant swinging.

Unbeknownst to her or Momo, they were being watched. Toushiro Hitsugaya sat atop the roof of a nearby building, watching them. He sat stoically, watching without expression or visible emotion. He did not know how long he watched them, he wasn't thinking about that. He wasn't thinking about anything in fact. He was just watching, his mind blank of thoughts.

"Why don't you go say hi?" someone said from behind him.

"Matsumoto, what are you doing here?" Toushiro asked without turning around.

"I'm here to pick up Karin of course! Haven't you noticed? It's already evening!" Rangiku said. Toushiro looked up and saw that it was indeed approaching sunset. He hadn't even paid attention to it until now.

"Yeah, I guess it is," he said expressionlessly.

"Well, since you're here anyways, why not go down and talk to Momo?" Rangiku asked.

"I don't think I will," Toushiro said.

"Oh come on Captain! You can't keep this silly feud up forever!"

"I'm not, I'm just not interested in talking right now," Toushiro said.

"You're so stubborn," Rangiku said.

"Be quiet…"

"Come on Captain, go talk to her! Go patch things up with her and be friends again!" Rangiku urged.

"It's not that simple," Toushiro said.

"Just give it a chance!"

"No," Toushiro said coldly.

"But Captain, she's your friend!"

"She _was_ my friend," Toushiro said, a hint of anger in his voice, "But things are different now! Both of us have changed, as has our situation. We're just…too different to be friends. Too much has happened. We just have to accept it…"

Rangiku looked at her Captain, trying to decipher his face for his true feelings on the matter.

"So what did they decide at the Captain's meeting? What will be done about the incident in Rukongai?" she asked, carefully watching him as she changed the topic.

"Nothing significant, just the usual response to this sort of thing. I'm not interested in discussing it, but if you really want to know, a report on the decisions and actions planned has been sent to all Vice-captains and upper-seated officers," he said without changing his expression. Rangiku realized that she wasn't going to get anything from him this way, and decided that it would be better to go back to being straightforward with the matter.

"Don't give up on your friendship Captain, I know you really miss Momo," Rangiku said.

"That's irrelevant," Toushiro snapped, "We have virtually no chance of becoming friends again, so there's no point in thinking about it."

"Then why were you here watching them?" Rangiku asked. Toushiro growled before standing up and turning away.

"I'll be going now," he said, "You can think whatever you want, but the cold hard truth is that Momo and I aren't friends anymore and probably won't be ever again. There's nothing that can be done about it, so just drop it."

"But Captain-" before Rangiku could even finish speaking, Toushiro had disappeared. She sighed and looked back to Momo and Karin training. She wished there was a way to get Momo and Toushiro to be friends again; they were both so miserable without eachother. They were best friends, but by sheer bad luck and factors outside of their control, they had been torn apart. It was very sad to think about.

Sighing, Rangiku headed over to take Karin home, promising herself that she wouldn't give up hope that Momo and Toushiro might one day patch up their friendship.

---

_Karin looked around. She was standing atop a rocky slope with no idea how she got there. What had she been doing before? Oh right, Rangiku had taken her home and she had fallen asleep. So that meant…she was dreaming? She looked down the side of the hill and saw that she was at the edge of the sea. The memories of her past encounter with this place came to mind, and she realized that she wasn't dreaming at all. This was the 'inner world' she had heard Momo and Rangiku speak of in the past. She had been told about how an inner world was an internal dimension within a Shinigami that was home to their zanpakuto spirit._

_Karin thought back to her past visits to this place. She had thought they were dreams before, but now she knew the true nature of it._

_She looked around for a moment. The sky was clear, not stormy as it had been before, and she was able to actually get a good look at the place. The rocks were a reddish brown and formed a number of cliffs, ledges, and slopes along the shore. She was at the top of one such slope, and she carefully climb down, careful not to lose her grip. When she was at the bottom, she tried to think of what to do next._

_This was definitely her inner world, which meant that her zanpakuto spirit was around here somewhere. She wasn't sure how to find her zanpakuto now that she was here, but she began walking along the shore, figuring that this was the best way to go._

_She walked along the shore, looking out for anything that might provide her with more clues. She saw various rock formations and sea caves, but nothing of particular note. There were rocks in some places that extended all the way to shore, which she had to climb over. Noticing the curve of the shore, Karin came to the conclusion that this was likely an island, though what existed within its interior she had no idea._

_After wandering for some time, she spotted a familiar sight. The old caravel was straight ahead, its sails raised. Karin nearly jumped in excitement, and made a bee-line for the ship. It got bigger and bigger as she approached, the magnificent ship staying in shallow water. Karin's heart leapt as she saw a figure standing at the bow of the ship in a majestic pose. She ran forward, going ankle deep in the water._

"_H-Hello!" she called out to the figure, who turned to regard her from the ship. Karin could not get a good look at the person, but could tell that they were wearing gleaming armor. "Can you hear me?" she yelled out. There was silence for a moment before a voice called back._

"_I am-"_

_Just then, a huge wave appeared and crashed over Karin, nearly knocking her over. She spit out water, wiping off her face in annoyance._

"_I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" she yelled. The figure did not answer her, instead walking over to the side of the boat. After looking down for a second, the figure jumped off, landing in front of Karin with a splash. Karin looked on with wide eyes._

_The man before her was dressed strangely. In addition to wearing armor reminiscent of a conquistador, he wore leather straps around his waist and a bright red feather was attached to his helmet. He had a finely trimmed moustache that ended in slight twirls. The man was lightly built, not much taller than Karin, but he more than made up for this short height with the regal, proud manner in which he composed himself. Karin cleared her throat._

"_Are-are you my zanpakuto?" she asked._

"_Perhaps," the man said in a refined voice._

"_What's your name?" she asked nervously. He glanced at inquisitively, stroking his moustache._

"_It would seem you are not ready to learn my name," he said._

"_What can I do to become ready?" Karin asked eagerly, "I'll do anything, just name it!"_

"_There is a task I need completed," the man said slowly, "If you were to complete it for me, I might see fit to grant you my powers before normal circumstances would allow."_

"_What is it? I promise I will accomplish it!" Karin said excitedly._

"_You must…stop being such a sleepy-head…"_

"_Wait, what?"_

"I said stop being such a sleepy-head! Wake up Karin!" Rangiku said, pushing Karin's shoulder. Karin's eyes snapped open, and when she saw Rangiku standing above her, she nearly screamed.

"Ah! But-but he-! I almost-! Why did-?! You woke me up when-! I- You- and the…and he…the task…" she babbled, extremely agitated over being woken up at the worst possible time.

"What's wrong, you sound like you're angry at me or something!" Rangiku said. Karin forced down the urge to yell, taking a deep breath before speaking.

"Take me to Momo," she said.

"But Karin, it's early! Your daily training doesn't start for another-"

"Take me to Momo! I need to see her!" Karin said firmly.

---

Momo stared at Karin and Rangiku in surprise. She stood at her doorway, still wearing her pajamas, and had certainly not been expecting to see Karin so early.

"What…what are you guys doing here?" she asked.

"Karin wanted to ask you something," Rangiku explained. Karin nodded and bowed.

"Please give me that special training you mentioned before, Vice-captain Hinamori," she said.

"I'm sorry, I can't do that," Momo said, "You still need several days of practice before we move onto that technique."

"Please! It's really important that I go through with that training today!" Karin insisted.

"Think logically. What difference does it make if you do it today or in a week?" Momo asked.

"I…I don't really know, but I still really want to do it as soon as possible," Karin said hurriedly. Momo glanced at Rangiku before nodding.

"Very well. Understand however that without proper preparation, this training method could cause severe stress, and possibly injury. Are you sure you want to take that chance?" Momo said.

"I'm sure," Karin replied, her voice filled with determination.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to blackwitchkarma, Psyco101, The Catch, Photophopic, Jumper Prime, war90, Chillis, Thunder Claw03, The Great Pineapple MEKI, nexuswarrior, Revolation, and DigiPal for reviewing! Sorry if the chapter seems a bit slow on action (and also sorry for updating a bit later than usual). I know this probably isn't one of my best chapters, but I have big plans for the next one, which may be put up as soon as Friday. As you probably noticed, this segment of the story is mainly focused on Karin's character development, but don't worry as I haven't forgotten Momo, Ichigo, and Toushiro. They'll all have development too, but right now it's just mainly focused on Karin. Any guesses on what her zanpakuto will be like? If you guess right, you win a cookie, lol. Please review!


	19. Chapter 19

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 19_

"Before we start, I want to ask you again: Are you absolutely sure that you want to go through with this early?" Momo asked. She stood with Karin at the training grounds, and had what looked like a golf club bag strapped to her back.

"Yes, I'm positive," Karin said.

"You understand that this is a dangerous technique, right? I wanted at least a week of preparation before starting. We're taking a big risk by doing it early," Momo said.

"I know, but it's something I have to do," Karin insisted.

"Okay then, if you say so," Momo sighed. She pulled off the bag and opened it, revealing a number of strange, luminescent poles. She walked away from Karin and began putting the poles into the ground in a wide area surrounding them. There were eight poles in all. Momo set them up in a circular pattern, the poles about ten meters apart. When she was done, they formed a large circular area. Momo moved to the middle.

"Last chance," she said.

"I know," Karin said with determination.

"Very well then." Momo sat down at the very center. She crossed her legs and closed her eyes in concentration and began whispering strange words in a language Karin did not understand. Reiatsu visibly formed around her, and the poles around them lit up with pink energy. They each emitted pulses of energy, and a pink-tinged dome appeared around them. The ground began glowing brightly, and everything beyond the dome seemed to disappear, replaced by utter blankness. After several long minutes, Momo opened her eyes.

"It is complete," she said quietly. Karin looked around in awe.

"What is this?" she asked in amazement.

"It's a special Kido that I developed," Momo said, sounding a bit tired out, "It's unsuitable for combat, but for the purposes of our training, I think it will do nicely."

"What are we going to do?" Karin asked. Momo put her hand on the hilt of her zanpakuto.

"This." In a movement so fast that Karin did not even see it, Momo had drawn her sword and made a wide slash in the same movement.

Karin stood frozen in place, her eyes wide. She shakily looked down to see a massive gash across her chest and left shoulder. Blood was pouring from the wounds, and her shoulder bone had been cleanly cut through, leaving her arm dangling by a small bit of skin and tendons. She let out a scream and collapsed to the ground. Tears of fear were in her eyes as she gasped for breath. This was it, she was really going to die…

The next thing she knew however, both the pain and the wound were gone, and her arm was movable again. Even her clothes were undamaged. Pale and shaking, Karin looked up at Momo.

"W-wha…"

"That is the purpose of this Kido spell," Momo explained, "I designed it to replicate the healing technique of an old Kido master. It will reverse any injuries you receive within the affected area. It essentially makes wounds disappear, along with any other damage." Karin wiped away the tears in her eyes and spoke, trying to stifle the shakiness in her voice.

"But…why did you…"

"Why did I attack you? That is the purpose of this method of training. The training I have given you so far has taught you some of the absolute basics, but even if I trained you that way for years it wouldn't have been able to replicate true combat experience. With this method, you will gain experience in ways that normal training cannot come close to in effectiveness. Use the skills I've taught you to fight me. I will not refrain from causing you injuries, it is up to you to block and dodge my attacks to avoid the pain you felt just now," Momo said.

Karin gulped. She was not eager to relive the experience of being cut by Momo's blade, but she had little choice but to go along with this. After all, it was her who had insisted on starting this training before she had gone through proper preparation. She would have to be brave and face this challenge.

Karin drew her sword and held it in front of her, watching closely as Momo prepared for her next attack.

---

"And why do you need the rest of the week off?" Ichigo sighed.

"Medical issues sir," said the Fifth Division's Thirteenth Seated officer, "While patrolling the bathrooms, I slipped on a recently mopped floor and sprained my ankle."

"You're not wearing any type of splint and you're walking just fine," Ichigo noted.

"Yes, my walking has improved, but the bruises still hurt. I was considering seeking compensation for my injuries, but a weak of paid medical leave is good enough for me."

"Very well then…" Ichigo said tiredly, signing a piece of paperwork and handing it to him.

"Thank you very much!" the man said, barely concealing his glee as he skipped out of the room.

"Idiot…" Ichigo muttered.

"No, not really," Rukia said from the chair behind him, "He was smart enough to know that you wouldn't refuse his request." Ichigo growled at this.

"If it weren't for guys like that, running a division would be much easier," he grumbled.

"Are you sure that's really the problem? What about you? You don't exactly project an aura of authority, and because of that people take advantage of you. You just can't say no to people like him. I wish I could help you more, but I'm not an officer, so I have limited knowledge on the subject. It's a shame Vice-captain Hinamori isn't here, she could definitely show you how to handle these situations."

"Alright, I get it! You don't have to be so harsh," Ichigo said, throwing up his hands in mock defeat, "I'm not tough enough, you've made your point! But let me ask you something: Do you really think that Hinamori would be able to turn people like that away?"

"No, she wouldn't need to," Rukia replied, "The members of this division have too much respect for Vice-captain Hinamori to come to her for frivolous things like that. She's one of the most popular Vice-captains, and is highly respected, even in other divisions. That guy wouldn't have dared trying that if it were her in this office."

"Oh, so you're just saying that no one respects me; great!" Ichigo said sarcastically.

"Oh, stop your whining! You'll get the hang of operating the division eventually, so don't spend your time worrying about it! Just put in a bit of effort, and soon you'll become a respected leader," Rukia said.

"Probably not too soon. Just look at these budget reports," Ichigo said, handing Rukia some paperwork. Rukia looked over it, her eyes getting wide. She didn't seem to know whether to laugh at him, pity him, or berate him. She awkwardly handed the papers back to Ichigo.

"That, uh, wow…"

"Yeah, tell me about it," Ichigo grumbled.

"How did you spend eighty-four percent of your monthly budget in a week?" she asked.

"I made the mistake of allowing a party last Friday. Somebody brought this special-recipe pumpkin bread, which everyone pigged out on. Regrettably, it had some unfortunate effects on the digestive system. The cost of replacing the plumbing in all of our bathrooms drained the treasury. Also, I may have accidentally signed pay raises for several Shinigami…"

"Wow, you really do need help," Rukia said.

"That's not the worst of it. This job takes up so much time that I've barely been able to visit Karin," Ichigo said.

"Well, being a Captain is a big responsibility. You can't expect a ton of free-time," Rukia commented.

"I know, but since Karin is the primary reason I'm staying here, it would be nice if I could see her a bit more."

"If you're only doing the job so you can be close to Karin, maybe you should rethink being a Captain. It's a big job, and your performance will affect all of the Shinigami in your division. If you're doing it half-heartedly, you really should reconsider what you're doing," Rukia said.

"I know, but this is the only way. I'll stay here for Karin's sake. Don't worry, I'll do the job, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm here for Karin first and foremost."

"You know that she'll likely become a Shinigami eventually, right? She'll be able to live here without special permission soon enough if you're willing to just wait."

"I know. I wanted to prevent it, but it does seem inevitable that she will eventually become a Shinigami. She's set her heart on it, and nothing I say or do will change her mind. If I'm a Captain however, I can at least take steps to ensure her safety and make sure she isn't put in harm's way," Ichigo said.

"Are you sure that's what Karin would want? She doesn't strike me as the type who would take kindly to that kind of overprotective treatment," Rukia said.

"That may be true, but it's for her own good. I'm not going to let her be put in danger. I've failed her once; I'm not doing it again. Karin is going to remain safe from harm, there is no question of that."

---

Momo brought her blade down, slashing Karin from shoulder to waist. Karin staggered back, the wounds healing within seconds. She had barely brought her sword back up when Momo attacked again with a diagonal cut. Karin managed to bring her sword up to meet Momo's, but she did not hold it with enough strength, and it was forced back as Momo's zanpakuto left a deep cut across Karin's chest.

Karin breathed heavily. She was no match for Momo. The best she had been able to do so far was dodge a few of the strikes. She couldn't even compose herself enough to counterattack, as Momo was too fast and strong to give her the chance. Karin regretted asking for the training early every time she felt the pain of the sword cutting through her flesh. She had been foolish in allowing a dream, even one of her inner world, to convince her to begin advanced training without proper preparation. Momo had been a Shinigami for half a century. Despite her claims of being merely 'average' in swordsmanship for a Vice-captain, she was likely more skilled than most of the famous swordsmen of lore. There was no way Karin could compete.

Momo's made a low, horizontal swipe at Karin, forcing her to lean back, turn, and step to the side to dodge.

"Good, you're beginning to get the hang of dodging my strikes," Momo said. She raised her sword and made a downward slash, which Karin tried to dodge by turning sideways only to have her shoulder cut into.

"Not bad, not bad, but you're too slow on your feet. Pay attention to your steps and watch where I will strike. You managed to minimize that blow, but in actual battle it would still be quite debilitating. Be quick on your feet and watch where I am. Make sure you're staying in an active stance as well," Momo said.

Karin was feeling overwhelmed. There were so many aspects of battle that she had to pay attention to! She tried to calm herself so as to better focus, but it was too difficult while she was constantly being attacked. She had thought she had been reasonably good for a beginner at using a sword before, but she was totally overwhelmed, and felt as if she were forgetting the lessons she had been taught. She tried thinking back to what she had been taught.

Karin put some distance between her and Momo, keeping herself out of Momo's sword reach, as she tried to think of the lessons she had been taught. She put herself in a neutral stance and backed away whenever Momo came forward, keeping the distance between them roughly even. When Momo tried to circle around her, she would turn to face her. Momo's smile seemed to indicate that she was impressed by this. Suddenly, Momo lunged and swung her sword down one-handed, giving her a greater reach. Karin gripped her sword and swung it forward from a horizontal angle, meeting Momo's blade and blocking it.

A look of surprise crossed Momo's face, followed by a look of satisfaction.

"Good, very good!" she said. She pulled the sword back and slashed again, this time horizontally. Karin leapt back at just the right moment, and momentarily felt a tiny bit of confidence in herself. She grinned and held the sword in front of her, ready for more.

The next several hours were spent continuing their sparring. Karin was still cut many times, but she recovered faster, and slowly became better at dodging, blocking, and even attacking. She was improving; there was no doubt of that. It was quite amazing really. By applying this pressure to her, Momo had greatly sped up the rate at which Karin was learning. In those few hours, she could see herself improving by leaps and bounds. She felt excited, and in fact rather proud of herself.

Karin blocked a strike from Momo, turning her sword back before sidestepping and delivering her own attack against Momo. She was able to block it of course, but it was still amazing that Karin was even able to do that. Karin stepped back and dodged a swing as she brought her sword back to regular stance. Momo cut at her side, but Karin managed to block it, bringing the blade up moments later to slash at Momo's face. Momo bent back, dodging the strike but not enough to avoid a small cut on her cheek.

Momo smiled as the cut healed and looked at Karin proudly.

"You've done well. In such a short time period, you've improved substantially. You still have a long ways to go of course, but after a bit more practice like this, you could likely compete with an unseated Shinigami. That said, there is something else I'd like to try." Momo snapped her fingers and the dome around them suddenly disappeared.

"What are you-?"

Momo brought her sword down on Karin, who raised her sword to block but received a small cut on the arm as her blade was forced back. Karin's eyes widened when she realized that it wasn't healing.

"Wait! The healing effect, it's-"

"Gone," Momo said, "Now you will have to fight me without the safeguard. If you do not properly defend yourself, I will kill you." Karin's eyes widened and she tried to run away, but Momo had already begun her attack, swinging her zanpakuto at Karin and narrowly missing her neck.

"Are you crazy?!" Karin yelled, "This is too much!" Momo ignored her, continuing her attack. Karin dodged and blocked as much as she could, but she knew it was only a matter of time before Momo was able to land a hit. What would she do? She was really going to get killed at this rate!

Suddenly, just as Momo was swinging her sword towards her, Karin had a funny feeling. She felt like the world had slowed down, and there was a dropping feeling in her stomach.

_The next thing Karin knew, she was no longer at the training grounds, but on the familiar coast she had seen all those times before._

"_So you're back."_

_Karin turned around to see the man in the strange armor standing behind her stroking his moustache and watching her intently._

"_What happened?" Karin asked._

"_You are in need of my powers right now," the man said, "However, I cannot grant you them unless you complete a task for me."_

"_What task?" Karin asked._

"_I have been trapped on this island for a long time. The seas are harsh, there are constantly storms brewing, and the wind is either non-existent or blowing so hard that the sails will be ripped off of a boat. I cannot navigate these rocky shores, and my compass won't work, as this entire island has been magnetized by the lightning constantly striking the iron-rich rocks. I am entrusting you with the task of finding a certain object that will allow me to navigate my way off of this miserable rock."_

"_What do you need?" Karin asked._

"_It is a map; located in a cave near the top of those cliffs. I need it if I am to get out of here," the man said, "Do this task for me, and I will grant you my powers."_

"_Why can't you climb it?"_

"_My armor is too heavy to climb such a steep slope."_

"_Well why don't you take it off?"_

"_Oh, I guess you don't want my powers then!" he said._

"_Alright, alright! I'm going!" Karin said, turning to the slope. Gulping, she walked to the edge of the slope and grabbed a rock, pulling herself up._

_The rocks provided a convenient way to get up. There were numerous rocks jutting out or protruding in various places, and climbing was just a matter of finding which rocks to grab and step on. It was easier than it looked, and she had soon climbed up a significant portion of the rocky slope. She sat down and caught her breath on a ledge after a while, looking down at the ground, where the figure of what she knew to be her zanpakuto now appeared much smaller as he waited for._

_Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Karin began to climb again. This part was much steeper and more difficult. She had to grab onto just the right rocks at just the right angle to get up. Several times, she nearly fell. After struggling up for some time, she managed to pull herself up onto a large, flat ledge, where she collapsed and caught her breath. It was only after several moments that she realized that in front of her was a cave. Standing up, she slowly approached._

_It was dim, but almost immediately she could see what made this cave special: it was full of treasure! Chests of golden coins and precious gems, elegant statues, and elegant jewelry covered the ground. Karin looked around in amazement. She quickly spotted the map that she had been told about. It was in a small glass bottle, which Karin quickly picked up and stuck in her pocket. Her main task completed, she looked around the place, admiring the treasures._

"_I guess my inner-world is popular with pirates," she chuckled to herself. Her voice echoed through the place, causing her to laugh more._

"_Hello!" she shouted, her yell echoing through the cave, "Hello!"_

"_Hello…" a sinister voice said._

_Karin nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned around, heart pounding. There was no one to be seen._

"_Who's there?!" she said nervously, "Where are you?"_

"_Over here girl…" the voice said. Karin turned to see a mirror that she had not noticed before. Two bright red eyes peered out from within the mirror. Karin walked forward, as if in a trance._

"_That's right, come closer…" the voice said eagerly. It was quiet and scratchy, and Karin could only vaguely tell that it was a female voice. It was frightening and disturbing, but Karin couldn't stop walking towards it. She reached a hand forward to touch the mirror, but just as her fingertips were about to touch, a sword came down, driving her back._

_The man in the armor was there, his sword blocking the way between Karin and the mirror. He tossed a tattered cloak over the mirror, covering it up and breaking whatever strange spell it had over Karin._

"_What was that?" Karin asked in shock._

"_It doesn't matter," her zanpakuto said coolly, "All that matters is that you found the map."_

"_Oh, right! The map!" Karin pulled out the small bottle and fished around inside for the map. Almost as soon as she pulled it out however, the yellowed map crumbled into pieces. Karin stared in shock, unable to believe what had just happened._

"_It's not fair…" she muttered, staring at what little was left of the map. The man in the armor however, merely laughed._

"_Silly child, I do not need a map! What good would a map do me, when what I want more than anything else is to explore the sea?" he said._

"_Wait, then why did you ask me to… Hey! Didn't you say you couldn't climb up here?" Karin said._

"_It was an important test of courage for you. You see, it is true that I cannot leave this island, but it's not because I don't have a map! It's because your frustration and internal conflict brings about the storms and waves, keeping me stuck here on this island! I have faith that one day you will overcome your conflicts, and these infinite seas will be open for exploration!"_

"_Wait, I still have a few more questions for you-"_

"_Too late, time to go!" the man said. He raised his sword and cut at Karin, who instinctively drew her sword to block._

"Nice block Karin," Momo said. Karin blinked as she remembered where she was. She looked up to see that she had just blocked a strike from Momo. Momo drew her sword back for another strike, which Karin narrowly dodged.

Karin ducked, dodged, and blocked the strikes, but she soon found herself in the same disadvantageous position she had been in before, overwhelmed by someone much more skilled than her. All she could do was struggle to keep up with Momo's attacks. She found herself retreating more often than not.

"_You need my power,"_ a voice in her head said_, "Say my name and command, and I will grant you the power you need. Listen closely and always remember these words…"_

Karin stopped running back and turned to face Momo, raising her zanpakuto.

"Repel, Denryu!" she shouted. There was a bright flash and a loud snapping noise.

Karin panted, her eyes wide as she looked upon her zanpakuto. It was no longer an ordinary katana, but a straight, thin, elegant sword that looked like a rapier or smallsword. The handle was gold and black, with intricate golden wire serving as a guard. Karin was able to smile at the sight of her zanpakuto for just a moment before passing out from exhaustion.

Momo caught her just before she fell, and quickly set her down and checked her pulse, sighing in relief once she was sure that she had just passed out. She looked at Karin's sword, getting the chance to examine it just before it returned to its normal state.

"Amazing," she whispered, "Shikai, so soon… Karin, you have a lot of surprises for me…"

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to Taeniea, war90, Okonomiyaki Days, Chillis, The Great Pineapple MEKI, nexuswarrior, Photophopic, Guibin, Thunder Claw03, and blackwitchkarma for reviewing! Please review!


	20. Chapter 20

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 20_

"This is amazing! Karin, I'm so proud of you!" Rangiku squealed, "I can't believe you attained Shikai so soon! This is simply amazing!"

"Well, I did have a pretty great teacher," Karin said, smiling at Momo.

"Don't thank me. This was your accomplishment, not mine," Momo said.

"No, you deserve just as much credit as me," Karin said, "If you hadn't pushed me as hard as you did, I doubt I would have gotten nearly as far as I have. I really do owe you my thanks for this." At a loss for words, Momo could only smile at this statement.

"So, what do you want to do to celebrate?" Rangiku asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what do you want to do to celebrate getting Shikai? You have to do something special for such a spectacular event!" Rangiku said.

"I don't want anything special," Karin said, "However, if I could go see Ichigo to tell him, I'd really appreciate it."

"Sure, that's a fair request. Just give me a bit of time, and I'll take you over in a little bit," Rangiku said.

"Actually, I was hoping I might be able to go over there myself and deliver the news on my own," Karin said.

"Why? Wouldn't it be easier if I shunpoed you over there?" Rangiku said.

"Yeah, probably. I'd just like to try going there myself," Karin said. Rangiku glanced at Momo, who shrugged.

"She's built up her stamina, and she knows where the Fifth Division offices are, so she should be fine going by herself," she said.

"Okay, if you say so," Rangiku said, "Just remember to be careful. If anything happens to you, it's my head that Ichigo will be after!"

"Thanks Rangiku!" Karin said, almost immediately turning and leaving, eager to tell Ichigo of her accomplishment.

When she was gone, Momo and Rangiku were left in silence.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Momo said quietly, "She achieved Shikai so quickly. It took me several years to reach Shikai. Even Toushiro took longer than her. She's only been training for a short while, and already she's gone so far."

"She's a special girl," Rangiku commented, "Plus, your training was definitely a boost for her." Momo seemed to ignore this, lost in her own thoughts.

"I wonder if she's another prodigy…" she said quietly.

"Momo, don't-"

"I'm not!" Momo interrupted, knowing what Rangiku was going to say, "I'm not jealous! It's just...I don't know! I've worked hard for so many years, but first Toushiro, then Ichigo, and, now it seems, Karin show up and easily master the things that I spent so long working hard on. It's just rather disheartening."

"Don't think like that Momo. If you spend your time comparing yourself to others, of course you'll feel bad. Focus on what you've accomplished, not the accomplishments of others. You've proven yourself to be a great Shinigami. You're a Vice-captain and one of the greatest Kido masters in Soul Society! Think about that, not what others have done."

"You're right Rangiku, I know, but it's hard," Momo said, "After…well, you know, I feel like I'm more aware of my shortcomings than before. That's why I try to improve myself."

"Things will end up okay Momo," Rangiku assured her, "Now, let's get to work on the party!"

"Party?"

"Karin's surprise party! We only have a short time to organize it!" Rangiku said cheerfully.

---

Karin walked briskly down the streets of Seireitei towards the Fifth Division offices. The few Shinigami who saw her left her alone, probably assuming she was a noble. Karin could not wait to tell Ichigo that she reached Shikai. She was quite proud of herself, and a little amazed. From what she had been told, it usually took a long time to reach Shikai, but she had done it only about a month after beginning her training. She was quite eager to continue advancing beyond this. She wanted to be strong and independent enough to determine her own destiny, and hopefully to make Ichigo proud of her and make him understand that she didn't need to be protected constantly.

As she walked towards the Fifth Division however, she was surprised to see a pink and black blur rapidly approaching her. She stopped as it got closer, going on the ground and occasionally jumping on to buildings. Only when it was a short distance away did she realize that it was a young, pink-haired girl. As soon as she realized this, the girl had jumped over her head and landed on her back.

"Ya-hoo!" she said cheerfully, "I gotcha!"

"Wh-who are you?" Karin asked in surprise.

"I'm Vice-captain Yachiru Kusajishi of the Eleventh Division!" she said

"Vice-captain?!"

"Yup! Who are you?" Yachiru asked.

"I'm, uh, Karin Kurosaki," Karin said.

"Ooh! You're Ichii's sister, aren't you! Ichii's always fun to play with, are you fun Karii?"

"Karii?" Karin repeated.

"Yup! Hey, do you have any candy Karii?" Yachiru said loudly.

"Um, no…"

"Well then that's all I have to say!" Yachiru said, jumping off of Karin's back, "See you later Karii!" With that, the girl ran off at extremely high speed.

"Weird girl," Karin muttered. She was about to walk off when another person came running up, this one a rather well-groomed male Shinigami with dark hair and two decorative feathers. He ran up to her panting.

"Did an annoying pink haired girl come by here just now?" he asked.

"Yeah, she went that way," Karin said, pointing in the direction Yachiru went.

"Thanks. The little brat dumped all of her paperwork on me!" he growled, running off. Karin stared after him a moment and shrugged. Apparently there were more than a few weird individuals in Seireitei.

---

Ichigo growled to himself as he looked over his records. Eighteen of the Shinigami in Fifth Division had not properly fulfilled guard duties. The messengers had missed a total of twelve official messages that were supposed to have been sent, and neither of the two Shinigami he had assigned to clean the barracks had done so. It seemed that there was very little respect towards him among the members of the division, though as Rukia was always happy to point out, this was largely his own fault.

"Acting-Captain Kurosaki, a visitor has come to see you!" a Shinigami at the door of the office said. Ichigo groaned.

"Can it wait?" he asked.

"I don't think-"

"Ichi-nii!" Karin called, interrupting the Shinigami.

"Karin? Why didn't you say it was you before? Come in!" Ichigo said. The door slid open and Karin walked in, her face full of excitement.

"Did something happen Karin? Why are you here?" Ichigo asked.

"I have really exciting news," Karin said, "Earlier today, I achieved Shikai!"

"What?!" Ichigo said in shock, "Karin, that's…amazing! I honestly can't believe it!"

"It's true, I reached my Shikai! Do you want to see it?"

"Not here Karin," Ichigo said, "I knew you could do it, but…wow, I never imagined you'd do it so soon! How on earth did you manage it?"

"I owe my thanks to Momo for that. Her training really helped me. I don't think I could have done it without her," Karin said. Ichigo's smile began to falter as he recalled how _he_ had achieved Shikai.

"And, um, just what type of training did she give you?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh…this and that…" Karin said, reluctant to reveal what Momo did to pressure Karin into achieving Shikai.

"Karin, tell me what she did," Ichigo said sternly.

"She… It was all to make me stronger, so don't get mad," Karin said, "She fought against me to make me achieve Shikai." Ichigo growled.

"I should have known. Urahara did that same thing to me. I should have known that she'd try something dangerous to speed up the training."

"It wasn't dangerous! She even set up a healing zone so that I would heal whenever I was injured," Karin said.

"What?! She actually struck and injured you? That's it, I'm stopping this nonsense right now!" Ichigo said angrily.

"What? Why?" Karin said in shock.

"I'm not going to let you train with her if she's going to attack you with a deadly weapon," Ichigo said.

"But I'm fine, and because she did that I got stronger!" Karin said, "Please Ichigo, don't make me stop when I've just begun to really improve."

"Sorry, but I have no choice. I didn't want you to do this in the first place, and now that this has happened, I can't let it continue. It's for your own protection."

"Don't give me that!" Karin said angrily, "I've been working hard to get stronger, and Vice-captain Hinamori has been working just as hard to help me! Don't look down on me and think you need to protect me from everything."

"I'm not looking down on you, I just want to protect you," Ichigo said.

"And did you ever consider that maybe I don't want you to constantly be overprotective? I want to get stronger so that I can protect myself! I thought you'd be proud of me for reaching Shikai, but it's clear that you want to keep me weak and dependent on you!"

"That's not true! Karin, please believe me when I say that I'm doing what's best for you! Do you realize how much I've sacrificed to be here looking after you?" Ichigo said, "I left all of my friends, not to mention Dad and Yuzu, back on earth for a job that I don't even want! But it's worth it, because doing so ensures your safety."

"Oh, that's real nice. I'm sorry that you're so miserable being kept around here to look after me when you could be back on earth instead. Sorry, being dead and all, I guess I forgot that you can go back to earth whenever you feel like it. Sorry to cramp your style and keep you away from your friends!"

"That's not what I meant Karin!" Ichigo said.

"Just shut up! I'm going back to Rangiku's house. You just stay here, and you'd better not do anything that will keep Momo from training me! If you do, I'll never forgive you!" Karin stomped angrily out of the room.

Exiting the building, she began walking back to the house. It was already getting dark, so she walked quickly. As angry as she was, she felt guilty for yelling at Ichigo. He was the only family she had here in Soul Society; she shouldn't have been so harsh on him. It was frustrating though. He still thought that she was some fragile thing that needed to constantly be protected. While she certainly had a long way to go, she wasn't a weakling, and didn't want her destiny to be determined by others.

As she walked down the dark streets, she turned a corner and bumped into someone.

"Oof!" she grunted, "Are you alright?"

"Fine, just fine," a grumpy voice answered. Karin only then realized who she had bumped into.

"Toushiro! What are you doing here?" she asked.

"That's Captain Hitsugaya, and I'm going off for a walk," Toushiro said.

"Why?"

"Matsumoto's stressing me out right now," he said.

"Oh, sorry to hear that. I can relate, Ichigo's being a pain too," Karin said.

"What's he doing?" Toushiro asked.

"He thinks that I need to constantly be protected. He won't give me the chance to prove myself and get stronger! I just feel like he looks down on me…"

"He cares about you, of course he wants to protect you," Toushiro said.

"But he's too protective! He's making me feel useless in comparison! He doesn't realize how much it's hurting me when he does it," Karin said. Toushiro was quiet for a moment before turning away.

"I have to be going now," he said.

"Oh, okay," Karin said, "Oh, and by the way, I was wondering what it was that Rangiku was doing to stress you out."

"You'll see," Toushiro said, walking away into the darkness.

---

Karin did indeed soon see what it was that Rangiku had done to annoy Toushiro. A huge party had been thrown at the house, and numerous Shinigami were loudly partying and drinking alcohol. Karin rushed through the crowd, trying to find Rangiku. She ended up finding her at a table with a large bottle of sake.

"Rangiku, what's going on?!" she yelled over the noise of the party.

"It's your surprise party!" Rangiku said, "I threw it to celebrate you getting Shikai! Join in, we've got plenty of booze."

"But I'm too young to drink!" Karin protested.

"Oh don't be such a killjoy! Lighten up and relax!" Rangiku said drunkenly, laughing loudly. Karin groaned and went off to look for Momo, hoping that at least she wouldn't be drunk. She soon found her sitting on the couch.

"Momo!" she said, "Hey, do you think I could go over to your place for the night? I'm probably not going to get any sleep here!" Momo didn't say anything, she just stared blankly at Karin.

"Momo? Hey, you're not-"

"Sorry…" Momo said slowly, her voice somewhat slurred, "I tried to stop it, but…"

"But what?" Karin asked.

"Rangiku had rum in coconuts," Momo said, holding up a half-coconut filled with liquid and a straw poking out, "I couldn't resist. I only had a couple…" Karin sighed.

"Great, so you're a drinker too…" she rolled her eyes.

"No, no, I don't drink too much at all, only on special occasions! I'm not even that drunk!"

"I hope not. Remember that we have training tomorrow," Karin said.

"Yeah, I'll remember it fine…" Momo said with a drunken wave of my hand, "I'm just relaxing a little bit. Join me, we can have a nice chat about…stuff, or something. Oh, have I ever shown you my tattoo?"

---

Momo and Karin stood at the training ground, Momo rubbing her temples.

"Ow, ow, ow…my head…" she groaned, "I hate hangovers."

"Hey, you're the one who decided to drink last night," Karin pointed out.

"Don't remind me," Momo said wearily, "I guess I should begin training some more. This time, I won't actually strike you, we'll just spar and a tap of the sword will count as a hit, alright?"

"Yeah, that's fine, but can you do this in your condition?" Karin asked. Momo smirked a little.

"Just watch me," she said, drawing her sword. Karin hurriedly drew her's as well, just in time to block a strike.

"Good reflexes! You're learning quick!" Momo said, making a jab at her left side. Karin blocked this strike, but the next cut at her left shoulder came too quickly. Momo gave her a tap on the shoulder to indicate a hit.

"Only two strikes blocked. That's okay though, it's early, and you'll get warmed up soon enough," Momo said.

Karin returned to her stance, after which Momo approached her. As she had been taught, Karin moved back, keeping the distance between her and Momo constant. Momo circled around, Karin doing the same, and then raised her sword and brought it down. Karin blocked the strike, forcing it back and returning it to original position just in time to deflect another one. She was able to repeat this nine more times for a total of eleven blocked strikes before Momo was finally able to catch her off-guard, tapping her with the flat side of the sword.

They continued practicing, with Karin blocking between six and fifteen blows each round. It wasn't great, and in real combat she'd probably have been killed, but she was still proud that she was able to stand that long against Momo, given how recently she had been completely overwhelmed by this type of thing. Slowly but surely, she was getting better.

"That's good, you're learning quickly," Momo said, "Now, if you would, I'd like you to use your Shikai."

"Very well," Karin said, "Repel, Denryu!" Her sword changed from a katana to a rapier, about the same length but thinner and straight. The hilt was only big enough for her to grasp with one hand, so she put her left hand on the pommel for her stance. Almost as soon as she was ready, Momo came at her. She swung her sword in a wide sweep at Karin, who brought her shikai up to block it. The lightness of the sword and the weak grip she had on it as a result of only one hand grasping it, however, caused the sword to be easily pushed to the side, and Karin was unable to bring it up again before Momo tapped her on the side of the neck with her sword.

"Just one partial block this time, we'll need to work on this," she commented. Karin nodded slowly, returning to a neutral stance.

Momo swung her sword down, but again Karin was unable to sufficiently block it, and Momo was able to reach her before she could give another strike. In the next round, she was able to block two of the blows, but was unable to stop a third. This pattern continued. Karin was usually only able to successfully block a single blow per round, and sometimes not even that. She was only able to block two or three of Momo's strikes in a few select rounds.

"Darn it!" Karin exclaimed, getting up off the ground after being knocked over by a particularly strong strike.

"Don't become frustrated, it's only natural that you'd have trouble at times," Momo said.

"But isn't Shikai supposed to be stronger? I'm doing worse now than when I was before!" Karin said.

"You only just learned your zanpakuto's name, it will take a while before you can adequately use its powers," Momo said, "Learn to communicate with your zanpakuto, and in time it will become not only a potent weapon, but your partner in battle."

"But it's not just the lack of power, it's the form itself. I can't use it like a katana, there's not enough room on the hilt for two hands. Not to mention the fact that the blade is so thin that it could probably be knocked away with a cardboard tube!" she said in frustration.

"You will learn how to use your Shikai properly one day. A Shinigami's fighting style is influenced by their own strengths and weaknesses. Take Toushiro for example –I mean Captain Hitsugaya. He is of short stature, but he makes up for it with a longer blade and an acrobatic fighting style that allows him to fight on equal terms with larger fighters. Or myself; I don't have a ton of stamina or upper body strength, so in combat I have to be careful to not attack frivolously while using my zanpakuto unreleased. When I'm in Shikai, I'm able to overcome that weakness by using long-range attacks. Each Shinigami has their own fighting style. You'll develop yours some day."

"Yeah, I suppose," Karin said tiredly, "I guess we should practice some more, huh?"

Before they could begin however, they were interrupted by an unexpected visitor.

"Hi guys!"

"Rangiku? What are you doing here?" Karin said in surprise.

"Well it's a funny thing," she said, "We lost contact with some sentries in the world of the living, and some strange things have been happening, so Captain Hitsugaya and I have been asked to accompany Captain Soi Fon and a squad from the Special Ops to check out this military base in the living world."

"Military base?"

"Yeah, a high security American outpost," Rangiku said, "There's supposedly not a lot of people there, just a small contingent of soldiers and some scientists. We don't really know what they're up to, but that's not really our concern. We're just checking things out to make sure things are okay. Now, the reason I came was because I wanted to let you know that I'll be gone for a day or two, so I'm leaving Karin to you Momo. She can stay at your place, right?"

"Yeah, sure," Momo said.

"Thanks… I'd better get going, we're supposed to leave soon," Rangiku said.

"Um, Rangiku?" Karin said nervously, "Be careful, alright?" Rangiku laughed.

"Don't worry about me Karin, I'll be with two Captains and an elite squad from the Special Ops, and I'm not exactly helpless myself. Besides, it's just a check-up on the area. There won't be anything there that we can't handle."

---

"Got any threes?"

"Go fish."

Several men in off-duty military clothing sat around a table playing cards.

"Do you have any eights, Ray?" one of them asked.

"Go fish," Ray said.

"Hey guys, I hear that they've got some beer in the 'fridge, any of you interested in nabbing some?" another man said.

"I don't know, Joe, whoever put it there might get mad if we just take it," Ray said.

"We shouldn't do it anyways. That refrigerator has a bad aura around it. I get the feeling that if you take anything that's not yours from there, you'll be punished," a younger man said.

"Oh don't even start Johnny!" Joe said, "You and your ghost fantasies…"

"Hey guys, take it easy."

"Whatever Lewis…"

"So Dustin, did you hear about Clyde in the research department?" Ray asked, trying to change the tone of conversation, "They say that he tried to sneak into the pantry by digging through the bathroom wall but got stuck!"

"Yeah, they say he was just lying there with his hindquarters sticking out of the bathroom wall for an hour!" Dustin chuckled.

Suddenly the lights went out. Everyone present immediately stood up. Moments after the lights going out, the emergency lights came on.

"What the hell was that?" Joe asked.

"I don't know, do you think we should check it out?" Lewis suggested.

"Maybe…" Dustin said.

They all cautiously walked out of the room and into the halls. The area was dimly lit by the eerie glow of the bluish tinted emergency lighting. Everyone was tense and silent. The base was occupied by only a small number of people, so they didn't encounter anyone for a while. After checking several rooms and going through several halls, Joe suddenly ran forward.

"What is it?" Ray asked. Joe pointed to the ground, where two bloodied guards lay. The others gasped and immediately went to their aid.

"Don't bother," Joe said as Lewis tried to prop up one of the guards, "They're already dead. Take out your weapons."

He didn't need to tell them, they had already drawn their sidearms. Being off-duty, they lacked heavy guns, but they still had their small personal sidearms.

"What the hell did this?" Dustin asked, looking at the wounds on the bodies.

"I don't know, but stay alert. We have to raise the alarm," Joe said, leaning down and taking the sub-machine gun from one of the fallen guards, "Follow me."

Suddenly they heard a loud clunk down the hall. Everyone raised their weapons and cautiously went forward. Despite the noise, they saw nothing. All present were tense and sweating. Without warning, Johnny raised his gun and fired several shots down the hall. The others immediately raised their guns, with Lewis and Dustin firing off a few shots as well in reaction.

"What is it?!" Joe yelled, "What do you see?!"

"There's something there!" Johnny yelled, "I can't see it clearly, but it's there!"

"Goddamn it Johnny, now is not the time for your delusions!" Joe roared.

"It's not a delusion, it's real! It's…it's gone…" Johnny said, looking down the hall with wide eyes.

Everything was still for a moments. Suddenly, Ray let out a scream and fell to the ground, the right side of his body split open as if cut by an invisible force. Lewis was yanked to the ground and suddenly flew down the hall, crashing into a wall hard enough to collapse it. The remaining men began to fire wildly in panic. Joe sprayed gunfire wildly all over the place, desperately hoping to hit the invisible menace. Unfortunately, one of the bullets hit Dustin, who fell to the ground. Mere moments later, Joe's torso was ripped open in a shower of blood.

Now alone, Johnny ran down the hall, shooting at the blurry, nearly invisible thing pursuing him. As he ran, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his leg, and he looked down to see that it had been nearly completely severed. He collapsed to the ground, dropping his pistol as he did so. Breathing heavily and barely conscious, he shakily reached for his gun. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was his weapon being crushed under a taloned skeletal foot.

* * *

Thanks for reading. Thank you to blackwitchkarma, nexuswarrior, war90, The Great Pineapple MEKI, MegaTank, The Catch, ThePurplePencil, Photophopic, chiharuSAICHI, Chillis, DigiPal, Thunder Claw03, Nightraze, and Psyco101 for reviewing! I'd like to make a small comment about the ending of the chapter. In all honesty, I was VERY hesitant about putting this chapter up in light of recent events. Nevertheless, this is an important part in the story and I couldn't afford to take the section out. I just wanted to apologize in advance to anyone who felt that this was a bit too soon or anything. Thanks for reading, and please review!


	21. Chapter 21

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 21_

"So this is it?" Toushiro said.

"Yeah, that's it," Soi Fon replied.

They stood outside of a large building deep within the jungle. It was dark grey and shaped like a large dome, and rose just barely to the tree line. Based on the appearance, it was likely that the structure continued underground. This was the military outpost that they had received the report about. The area was quiet, with no other settlements for miles around.

As they approached, it was immediately clear that something very serious had happened. A heavy metal door at the front of the building had been completely ripped off, and was now lying on the ground.

"Weapons out," Soi Fon said. She, Toushiro, Rangiku, and the four elite special ops members accompanying them drew their zanpakuto, holding them ready for conflict.

"Did a hollow do this?" Rangiku asked as they walked past the destroyed door.

"I don't know," Soi Fon said, "Now be quiet and stay alert. We don't know what we're dealing with.

When they walked inside, it became even more apparent that something very serious had occurred. Emergency lights dimly lit the place, revealing much damage to the building's interior. There were smashed in walls and holes in the ceiling, as well as a few bullet holes. In several places, blood was smeared on the floors and walls, though there were no bodies to be seen.

"Whatever did this must have cleaned up the bodies afterwards," Toushiro noted, inspecting a large dent in the wall with blood around it.

They walked further into the base. Some areas had lights out or flickering, and spent bullet casings could be found on the ground in places. There were numerous halls and rooms, each of which was carefully inspected, but none of which yielded any clues. Everywhere they looked, they saw the same devastation that existed throughout the building. Furniture was smashed, walls knocked down, and doors torn off their hinges.

"What was this place used for anyways?" Toushiro asked.

"We're not sure; all we know is that the humans were using it as a research base. We suspect that their research involved energy and crystalline material structure, but we're not sure," Soi Fon said, "That's really irrelevant though. Right now we're just focusing on what attacked this place. We've searched enough to know with relative certainty that whatever attacked is long gone. I'm going to inform Soul Society that they can send in an investigative squad to search for evidence."

"I thought that's what we were here for," Rangiku said.

"No, we're here to assess the situation and ensure it's safe. Now that we've done that, we can call in an investigative team to make a more thorough investigation. Whatever attacked this place is long gone, so there's no point in senior officers staying," Soi Fon said. She reached to the communication device on her robe and held it to her mouth. "Captain Soi Fon to Soul Society; the situation has been assessed and it has been determined that it is safe for an investigative team to inspect. We will be awaiting their arrival."

"I guess that's that then…" Toushiro said, "Odd that it was so simple…" At that moment, they suddenly heard a scuffling noise, and all present immediately held their swords up defensively, not knowing if there was a new adversary. They looked around, trying to determine where the noise came from. Their eyes settled on a small closet that was cracked open nearby.

Soi Fon put a finger to her lips and slowly approached. When they were close enough, she put her hand forward and swiftly opened the door. They were greeted with a cry of terror, and looked down to see a soul crouched down at the bottom of the closet shaking in fear. They sighed, lowering their weapons. Soi Fon looked at the soul inquisitively.

"Were you one of the soldiers stationed here?" she asked. The man nodded quickly, his eyes still wide.

"What happened?"

"I-I-I d-don't know…" The man stuttered, "I was j-just playing cards, and then the lights went out, and we went out to investigate. The next thing we knew, something invisible was attacking us!"

"Do you know what it was that attacked you?" Toushiro asked.

"N-no! We couldn't see a thing!"

"Sounds like a hollow to me," Rangiku said.

"Perhaps," Soi Fon said quietly, "Do you have any more information?"

"N-n-no, that-that's all I know!" the man said shrilly. Soi Fon sighed.

"Very well then. Vice-Captain Matsumoto, please perform Konso on this soul."

"As you wish Captain," Rangiku said, putting the hilt of her zanpakuto to the man's forehead.

---

Karin grunted as she stumbled back. She had just dodged a strike, but had leaned back so much that she lost balance. Luckily, Momo caught her before she fell, though she was quite embarrassed.

"Sorry," she muttered quietly.

"Don't worry about it," Momo assured her, "Up until the last bit, that was a great dodge. Just be sure to keep your footwork steady while you're dodging."

"It would be easier if my stupid Shikai were actually capable of blocking," Karin muttered, "Right now, I can only dodge."

"Technically dodging is the preferred defensive method for katana combat," Momo said, "Of course, since your Shikai is not a katana, you'll have to adapt your style to suit its form and ability."

"Yeah, that's the problem, I don't know its ability and I have no clue how to make use of a sword like this," Karin said, "I've been training all this time with a Katana, and was actually getting pretty good at it, but this thing is useless."

"You shouldn't say that about your zanpakuto, you might hurt its feelings," Momo said with a small smile, "Remember, a zanpakuto is your partner in battle. You must learn to appreciate it."

"Well until I've figured out Denryu's abilities, there's not much to be done," Karin said, "The sword is so thin and narrow that it can't block anything. It's just too light! Not to mention the fact that the hilt is so short that I can barely grip it with both hands. I always end up just holding the pommel with my left hand rather than the grip."

"Well that might be your problem," Momo said, "Your Shikai is more like a smallsword or a rapier than a katana. It's not meant to be held with two hands, and it's not meant for cutting or blocking. The trick to this sort of weapon is to use it one handed and to use thrusts and stabs instead of cuts and slashes and to defend by parrying instead of blocking. It's all a matter of technique."

"But you taught me in the use of a katana all this time!" Karin said, "That's how I learned swordsmanship. I can't properly control the blade with just one hand and I've trained with blocking and cutting so much that it's what I instinctively use. What was the point of all that if Shikai renders that sort of combat obsolete?"

"You'll no doubt end up using your unreleased sword at times, so it's worthwhile. Besides, it sets up the basis for other techniques like the ones you'll use in Shikai. It's always good to be aware of multiple fighting styles. You'll use different styles for different situations. For example, against someone of a much lower level than me such as yourself, I can afford to attack aggressively and in a straightforward manner. Against someone of similar skills and average fighting style, I would use my own special technique featuring conservation of movement and elegance. Against an aggressive, straightforward fighter, I would use a heavily defensive technique that would allow me time to tire out the attacker and find the right moment to strike. Against the strongest of foes, I would use a combination of my Shikai and kido spells to even things out. You see, a multitude of fighting styles makes a fighter much more versatile."

"I get what you're saying, but the problem is that my zanpakuto just doesn't seem to have the ability to perform any type of fighting style at all. It's just too flimsy and awkward to use."

"Is that what you think?" Momo asked, "Well then let me show you something: Snap, Tobiume!"

Momo's zanpakuto glowed bright pink and straightened out, gaining several prongs along the side. Karin stared in awe at it. This was the first time she had seen Momo's zanpakuto released.

"Do you see this?" Momo said, "These prongs make it difficult to fight, and the only way to really use it properly is to trap opponents blades with the prongs, which is really tough. When I first achieved it, I had a difficult time with it at first. It seemed useless for combat to me. Until I discovered its power however…" Momo flicked her wrist a little, and a massive energy ball was launched from the tip of the zanpakuto, impacting with a rock and creating a large explosion.

"That's amazing!" Karin said, staring in awe as the smoke cleared.

"That was nothing," Momo replied, returning her zanpakuto to its sealed state, "I can easily launch a blast with ten times more energy than that. My point here is that eventually you'll discover your zanpakuto's power. I can't say when. It could be relatively soon, it could be many years from now, but I'm confident that you will one day accomplish it. You just have to learn to communicate with your zanpakuto. I personally would recommend meditating with your zanpakuto. It's a great way to calm down and helps you to converse with your zanpakuto."

"Meditation, huh?" Karin said a bit skeptically.

"Yeah, now come on, I'd like to get in a few more rounds before heading home."

---

Toushiro, Rangiku, and the others stood around waiting for the investigative team. They had given them the exact location in the building where they were, but they had still not arrived, despite it having been several hours.

"It's been far too long. They should be here by now," Soi Fon said.

"They must have been delayed," Toushiro said.

"Perhaps…" Soi Fon mused, "I'm going to contact Soul Society."

"This is really strange…" Rangiku said.

"Be quiet while I'm contacting Soul Society," Soi Fon snapped, "Soul Society, this is Captain Soi Fon. The investigation unit we requested has not yet arrived."

"_They were sent hours ago, Captain, they should be there by now," _a voice said from Soi Fon's communication device.

"Well they're not here yet, and if they don't arrive soon, we'll have to-" She was interrupted by a loud clunk down the hall. All present looked up, extremely tense.

"_Captain?"_

"Stand by," Soi Fon ordered. She drew her sword and slowly walked forward, eyes and ears alert for signs of danger. The others followed behind her, weapons ready.

As they focused ahead however, they neglected to notice several figures approaching behind them. One of these let out a loud battle-cry, alerting the Shinigami to their presence. They turned and raised their weapons just in time to block the attacks.

All seven Shinigami found themselves face to face with an equal number of brown-robed warriors of the same type Toushiro had encountered before. They carried a variety of weapons, including spears, swords, war hammers, axes, and clubs, some of them wielding a different weapon in each hand. They had little time to analyze them however as they immediately attacked again.

"Captain Soi Fon to Soul Society! We are being attacked by unknown adversaries! Repeat, we are under attack!" Soi Fon yelled into her communicator as she deflected several blows with her sword.

"These are the same things I fought before! Don't let your guard down!" Toushiro yelled. The warriors pushed forward, using coordinated attacks to force the Shinigami back. The Shinigami found themselves pushed back into a larger hall, where there was more room to defend themselves. They were beginning to succeed in fighting back when three more of the warriors ambushed them from a side hallway, forcing them to retreat down another hall.

They found themselves in a large, high-ceiling room. There were several broken tables, desks, and chairs lying on the ground, hinting that this may have been a meeting room. Their enemies soon arrived in the room behind them. The Shinigami turned to face them, knowing that they had a better chance in the open space than in the cramped halls.

The warriors rushed to fight them. Rangiku and the four special ops members ended up fighting individual warriors while Toushiro fought two and Soi Fon three. They were skilled warriors, but the Shinigami soon proved their skill as they fought. Rangiku fought a spearman, and soon after beginning had cut off the spear's tip, forcing the warrior to fight with a short sword. Toushiro was fighting two swordsmen, both of whom he was able to dodge and defend against. Soi Fon's opponents fought with heavy axes and hammer-weapons, allowing the speedy Captain to dodge and counterattack more easily. The Special Ops were likewise able to keep pace with the warriors.

Things were looking more and more encouraging for the Shinigami when, without warning, the warriors stopped. They backed away, lowering their weapons. The Special Ops members looked like they might begin to pursue, but Soi Fon held out a hand, signaling them to stop. The brown-robed warriors backed away, melting into the darkness of the halls.

"What was that about?" Rangiku asked.

"I don't know. They might be hoping to trap us in the halls. They do much better when in a tight group formation than on their own," Soi Fon said.

"I have a bad feeling," Toushiro said, "This is too simple."

No sooner had he said this, they heard a strange noise. It was a strange clicking, tapping type of noise, reminiscent of the sound of a dog's nails while walking on a hard floor, only louder and much more strange. The noise of it caused all seven Shinigami to feel very nervous. It wasn't just the oddness of the noise, it was something else. They felt inexplicably filled with dread.

"Captain…"

"Stay ready and keep quiet Matsumoto," Toushiro said tensely. He looked around for a moment before turning to Soi Fon, "I'm going to go stand by the other exit in case they try coming in through there." She nodded, and Toushiro ran over towards the door at the opposite end of the room.

As Toushiro ran towards the door, there was a loud clunk, and the clicking sound stopped. Toushiro stopped running, straining his ears and looking around carefully.

Suddenly, the wall next to where he stood exploded, showering debris all over the place. Toushiro leapt back, his eyes wide as the dust settled. A massive, terrifying figure stood before him. It looked like the skeletons of a man and a dragon fused together. The being's body was made of a white, bony substance which formed something of an armored skeleton. It had inhuman triple-jointed legs, with feet sporting large dagger-like claws spread out like a predatory bird's toes. Hard bony quills jutted out of its back, and its twelve fingers ended in pointed tips. Its head was like a skull, with two sets of horns, one set short, the other long and curving, coming from its head. It had no lower jaw, but a pair of short tusks protruded from the underside of it. The eyeholes were dark and bottomless, with two tiny pin-pricks of golden light shining from within.

Toushiro was in such a state of shock as he looked at it that he neglected to notice it pulling out a pair of thick, curved scimitars from its back. When he realized his mistake, it was too late. The creature was already bringing its blades down upon him. Luckily, Soi Fon and Rangiku appeared at his side and blocked the strike.

"Don't let your guard down!" Soi Fon yelled at him. Toushiro snapped back into the battle and raised his sword to fight. He brought his sword up to attack, but it pushed Rangiku's blade away to block Toushiro's. It leapt into the air, flipping and landing behind them. Before they could even react, it brought its scimitar down in a sweeping motion that cut one of the special ops members cleanly in two. Upon seeing this, the dead man's companions attacked.

"No don't!" Soi Fon yelled, but it was too late. The monstrous thing cut down two of them in the blink of an eye. The third attacked from the opposite direction, and the monstrous being swung its foot out and grabbed the man's head with the claws, smashing it into the ground so hard that the concrete floor cracked. Half of the forces brought to this place were now dead, killed in a matter of seconds.

Toushiro, Soi Fon, and Rangiku had no time to grieve however, for the beast attacked again. It swung its scimitars in sweeping motions that never seemed to stop. It was impossibly fast and strong, easily beating all three of them back. Toushiro and Soi Fon were able to dodge its blows and more effectively combat it, but Rangiku was horribly outmatched, barely able to defend herself against the onslaught. The two Captains weren't without difficulty either. Whenever they attacked, the creature attacked with such force that not only were their blades beaten back, but they ended up having to defend themselves.

They tried surrounding it, but it did no good. It swung its swords so fast and in such wide sweeps that it could attack Toushiro in front of it and block Rangiku's attack behind it in a single stroke. It never locked blades with them; whenever one of them was able to block a strike it would swing its sword around and strike again so quickly that it appeared to be part of the original movement. The beast's attacks looked like a buzz saw of swords.

"What do you want?!" Soi Fon yelled at it as she attacked without effect. The beast let out a hissing noise followed by a gurgling growl.

"We can't keep up like this!" Toushiro yelled, "Soi Fon, we need to-"

"Yes, I know," Soi Fon said, "Vice-Captain Matsumoto, please stay back. Sting my enemies, Suzumebachi!"

"Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyorinmaru!" Toushiro yelled. A massive dragon of ice appeared as he swung his sword. Soi Fon and Rangiku leapt away, Soi Fon now sporting her Shikai on her finger. Toushiro directed the ice dragon at the beast. It attempted to jump away, but its left hand and foot were caught in the torrential blast of ice and water, creating a block of ice around the left hand and the sword held in it and freezing the foot to the ground.

Soi Fon took advantage of the moment and attacked with her Shikai. When the small dagger like weapon hit the creature's chest however, it did not create the usual butterfly-shaped mark that normally accompanied a strike from her Shikai. Panicking, she struck again, but once more it did not do a thing. The creature let out a hiss and with its free hand slashed Soi Fon across the back with its sword. Soi Fon collapsed to the ground.

Rangiku immediately ran to attack, striking at the side which was frozen, but as she attacked, the beast thrust its frozen arm forward, hitting Rangiku in the chest. She froze, shakily looking down as it withdrew its hand, revealing a spike protruding from the beast's wrist and sticking out of the ice. Her blood dripped from it.

"Matsumoto!" Toushiro yelled. Before he could do anything, the creature broke its clawed foot free of the ice and swung it upwards, kicking Rangiku in the head and slashing her face open with its sharp claws. She was sent flying by the impact, hitting the ground with a thud.

Roaring in anger, Toushiro attacked, leaping into the air and bringing his sword down in a powerful slash. The monstrous creature swung its frozen hand, hitting Toushiro with such force that the ice encasing its hand shattered. Toushiro barely managed to land on his feet, staggering back. He could tell by the sharp pain in his chest that he probably had broken several ribs. He panted as he stared at the monster, trying to think of a way he could possibly defeat it.

The creature attacked, swinging its swords in the same wide, powerful arcs as before. This time however, Toushiro was alone in fighting it. He was quickly overwhelmed, unable to keep up with the beast's fast movements and powerful strikes. He sustained several minor wounds as he fought, luckily avoiding any fatal injuries. He couldn't keep this up though. He was fully aware of how hopeless the situation was. His hands were getting painful from the vibrations sent down by the powerful strikes, and the pain from his broken ribs was getting to be so bad that he had trouble focusing.

As he fought, one of the beast's strikes hit lower than he anticipated, and he felt a sharp pain in his right hand. In his moment of confusion, the beast used its prehensile foot to grab Toushiro by the ankle and throw him against the nearby wall. Toushiro hit the wall with such force that it cracked and sent bits of debris falling down.

He shakily stood up, wincing as he put weight on his left foot. His head hurt horribly, and his vision was blurry and out of focus, indicating a head injury from the impact. He shakily reached for his sword nearby, only to realize that his hand had been cut in half, with only the thumb and first two fingers remaining. He looked up to see the beast approaching. He glared at it and grabbed his sword with his left hand, holding it up shakily in front of him as he stood defiantly despite his injuries.

"Come on and fight me you damn monster," he growled, "I'm not dead yet, so come and fight me!"

The beast hissed and leapt into the air, both swords held ready to strike.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to nexuswarrior, The Great Pineapple MEKI, Hinata-cutie, blackwitchkarma, war90, Taeniaea, randomguy24, Chillis, Nightraze, Photophopic, Guibin, Thunder Claw03, Revolation, and DigiPal for reviewing! With this chapter, the story passes 100,000 words! Hooray! Please review!


	22. Chapter 22

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 22_

"Shiro-chan… Shiro-chan…" Momo sobbed as she sat at the side of Toushiro's hospital bed. Toushiro was covered in bandages and had a splint on his injured leg. His right hand was encased in a cast and a mask over his face provided purified oxygen.

"He's sustained severe injuries to the chest and has blunt trauma to the head," Captain Unohana said, "He's taken quite a beating, but things do look hopeful, and I expect him to recover in time."

"What could have done such a thing?" Momo asked tearfully, "Both Toushiro and Rangiku, and even Captain Soi Fon… What could possibly have done this?"

"I'm afraid I don't know," Unohana said, "When I arrived, whatever it was had nearly finished him off. I used Kido to attack it, and it ended up running away before I got a good look at it. I didn't pursue it because I had to administer treatment to the injured."

Momo gripped the edge of the bed tightly, tears running down her face.

"Is this what it feels like Toushiro?" she whispered, "Is this what it was like for you?"

"_Momo, you're being unreasonable!" Toushiro said, "I just want to protect you!"_

"_I can protect myself Toushiro, you don't need to treat me like a helpless infant!" Momo retorted._

"_I promised you long ago that I would protect you, remember?" Toushiro said._

"_No! You didn't promise me, we both promised eachother! We said we would protect eachother, but you're the only one who ever does any protecting!" Momo said._

"_And that's my fault?" Toushiro asked in exasperation._

"_N-no, I didn't mean it like that! It's just…you don't take me seriously! You think I'm just some weak thing that's completely helpless," Momo said, "Can't you see how much you're hurting me by constantly being this way? We're supposed to be friends Toushiro, but you always make me feel worthless when you do this."_

"_I'm sorry Momo, I never meant to make you feel that way, but I'm not going to stop protecting you," Toushiro said._

"_Why not?" Momo asked._

"_Why not?!" Toushiro yelled, "You have to ask that? It's because I don't want to see you hurt again! Momo, you don't understand what it was like to see you back then, lying on the floor in a pool of blood. I…I thought you were dead. That was the most horrible moment in my life. Even when you were brought back from the brink, I had to watch you lying in bed unconscious with a machine attached just to help you breathe! You have no idea what that was like! I…I never want to see you get hurt like that again. You may not understand, but I can't let you be hurt that way again."_

"Toushiro…I understand…" Momo cried, "I understand why you were protecting me so much. I was just being stupid and jealous of you when I rejected it. I understand what it feels like Toushiro, I understand why you were so desperate to protect me. This…this is hell. Oh Toushiro… Oh Toushiro, please wake up!"

In the next room, Karin listened to Momo's crying as she sat by the side of Rangiku's hospital bed. Rangiku's face was heavily bandaged. Her chest rose and fell as she breathed. She was unconscious, but the nurses Karin talked to had insisted that she would be alright. This did little to comfort her however.

To Karin, Rangiku had served as something of a big sister. The idea of losing her was terrifying. Equally terrifying was the idea that something strong enough to so brutally injure Toushiro and Rangiku existed. They both seemed so strong to Karin; prior to today, she could not even have imagined them being defeated. She was greatly unnerved by what was happening. Was this new enemy something the Shinigami could handle? Would it hurt more people Karin cared about? What would happen if Momo or Ichigo encountered this thing? What if whatever it was wasn't alone, and there were a whole army of them. What would happen then?

She shivered at the thought, but tried not to dwell on it. Right now, she could only hope that Toushiro and Rangiku would get better, and that whatever had caused this would be caught.

Back in Toushiro's room, a hell butterfly fluttered in and landed on Unohana's finger.

"There is an emergency meeting for the Captains and Vice-Captains," she said.

"I'm not going," Momo said, staring at Toushiro.

"You have to; your presence is required," Unohana said gently but firmly.

"No! I…I can't leave Toushiro. What if he dies? We…we never made up for our fight! What if he dies and we never managed to work things out? I can't leave him here, I just can't!" Momo said stubbornly.

"He's a strong boy, I'm certain he'll live," Unohana said, "Besides, I'll be staying here to take care of him and the others. It's your duty as a Vice-Captain to attend this meeting. Do you understand?"

"I-I guess…" Momo said.

"Good. In that case you'd better get going; you wouldn't want to be late," Unohana said.

---

"We meet here under the gravest circumstances," Yamamoto said, "Two of our Captains and a Vice-Captain have fallen to the blades of an unknown enemy. Vice-Captain Kotetsu, please tell this assembly what you told me a few moments ago." Isane stepped forward, clearing her throat nervously as she spoke.

"Captain Hitsugaya has sustained blunt trauma, a fractured skull, broken ribs, a mutilated hand, and a broken leg. However, Captain Unohana sees signs of progress in his condition, and expects him to heal quickly. She has already reattached the portion of hand lost in his battle, though we don't know if he'll be able to use it normally or not after recovery. She expects him to be out of the Fourth Division's medical ward in a week and for him to be capable of resuming regular Captain duties in two weeks. Vice-Captain Matsumoto received a puncture wound with organ damage and blood loss, along with severe injuries to the face and head. Captain Unohana is confident however, that she'll be well enough to leave the Fourth Division in one to two weeks. Captain Soi Fon however is a much more serious case. A strike from a bladed weapon severed her spine. Captain Unohana can heal it, but given the nature of the injury, it will take much longer than usual. Captain Soi Fon won't be able to resume Captain's duties for several months. Her condition is so severe that Captain Unohana opted not to attend this Captain's meeting so as to work on healing her."

"Thank you Vice-Captain Kotetsu, you may stand down now," Yamamoto said, "As you all surely must understand, this is a most serious issue. There can now be no doubt that there is an enemy of Soul Society plotting against us."

"We were too careless," Hisagi said, "All of these unusual occurrences are clearly connected. The rogue Shinigami attack in Karakura town, the strange hollows, those warriors in Rukongai, and now this…something very big is going on."

"Something big is definitely going on, and if my intuition is correct, our enemies are highly organized," Byakuya Kuchiki said.

"We must maintain a heightened state of alert and increase patrols. I believe an investigation is in order. Whoever or whatever did this must not be allowed to escape," Komamura said.

"That is regrettably part of the problem. We've no idea who our enemy is, which puts us at a distinct disadvantage," Yamamoto said, "There is little we can do except wait for the enemy to make their next move. Given the circumstances however, we need as many active Shinigami as possible. Thus, I will be suspending Vice-Captain Hinamori's punishment. You are to resume your regular duties as Vice-Captain, is that clear?"

"Yes Captain-Commander, it is clear," Momo said with a bow.

"What about Karin?" Ichigo asked.

"We will discuss that at a later time Kurosaki, this is a matter of greater importance," Yamamoto said in annoyance.

"But sir, you said just now that you had suspended Vice-Captain Hinamori's punishment, does that mean that Karin's punishment is also suspended?" Ichigo asked.

"Given the circumstances, yes, that would be the case," Yamamoto said.

"And what of her living arrangements? She was living with Vice-Captain Matsumoto, but now that she's injured, Karin has no place to go," Ichigo said.

"Um, she could stay with me if she likes," Momo said, "Rangiku asked me to keep her at my place while she was gone, so I suppose this could be considered something of an 'extension' of that request."

"Will that be satisfactory for you, Kurosaki?" Yamamoto asked.

"Yes, I suppose it is," Ichigo said slightly hesitantly.

"Good, now if you have no more interruptions, we must get back to business," Yamamoto said sternly.

---

"So…you're not going to be training me anymore?" Karin asked sadly.

"I'm sorry, it was the order of the Captain-Commander that I resume my duties as Vice-Captain," Momo said, "I won't have time to train you anymore."

"But…but I'm not ready yet; I know that there's a lot more that you were planning on teaching me," Karin said.

"I'm really sorry Karin, but there's nothing I can do. I'm Vice-Captain of the Fifth Division, I have responsibilities that need to be upheld. However, you are going to be staying at my place for a while, and I have a lot of books that you can use to improve yourself while I'm busy. I might even be able to throw in a short lesson to you every once in a while! Does that make you feel any better?" Momo asked.

"Yeah, I suppose…" Karin said, her head lowered. She turned to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Momo asked.

"I'm going to bed. Today was just too much…" she said.

"You can use my room. I'll sleep on the couch," Momo said. Karin glanced at her for a moment and almost said 'thank you' before turning back and going to the bedroom.

When she arrived she immediately collapsed onto the bed, taking several deep breaths. Today had been highly stressful for her. Rangiku and Toushiro were both badly wounded, and now she had lost her teacher. She didn't know what to do now; she had been hoping that the more she trained, the more self-reliant she would become, and eventually gain Chico's acknowledgement that she was indeed able to take care of herself.

She sighed. When she first began training, she never imagined that she would have been this crushed by it being over. The time where Momo had seemed to Karin to be a harsh slave-driver of a master seemed distant and long ago, despite having only been about a month ago. Things had changed since then. Karin had grown to understand and appreciate Momo, and in turn Momo treated Karin with more respect. They had grown close in the time they spent together, practically becoming friends, even if their relationship wasn't as casual as the one between Karin and Rangiku.

At the thought of Rangiku, Karin became even more depressed. The thought of the woman who had acted as an older sister to her lying on a hospital bed with severe injuries was highly unpleasant. While Karin was in a comfortable bed, Rangiku was in a dark room recovering from her wounds. It was unpleasant to think about to say the least.

Karin looked over at her zanpakuto that she had set down near the doorway. She thought about what Momo said about meditating with a zanpakuto. She said that doing this made Shinigami and their zanpakuto grow closer and that it helped calm you down. She wondered if meditating would make her feel better. She got up and took the zanpakuto, sitting back down on the bed with the sheathed sword resting on her crossed legs.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Meditating… meditating… how did meditating work again? Momo had never really been specific, only saying that it was a great way for Shinigami to communicate with their zanpakutos and to calm down. She had no clue how to actually meditate properly. She supposed that it would consist of calming the mind and thinking. She supposed that she could only try different methods.

Karin tried to clear her mind of worry and put herself in a peaceful state. It was harder than it sounded, as in order to do this, you had to focus on being calm, which meant that you were thinking by proxy about the things you didn't want to think about. She recalled the time when her father told her that she could eat an entire cake if she didn't think about toucans for one hour. Needless to say, she thought of toucans immediately (though she ended up eating the cake anyways). It was nearly impossible to intentionally _not_ think about something.

After several minutes of failed meditation, she tried a different tactic: calling out her zanpakuto directly. _Denryu_, she called in her head, _Denryu, can you hear me?_ There was no response. Karin focused even harder, clearing her mind and focusing herself completely on calling out to her zanpakuto. _Denryu, are you there?_ Again, there was no response. She hadn't really expected it to be this easy, but it was still a bit disheartening. In the past, she had only been able to visit her inner world accidentally while dreaming, not on conscious will. She breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, focusing…focusing…focusing…

_Denryu, I need to talk to you,_ Karin said in her head. She wondered if maybe she was supposed to do some sort of hand gesture like she would sometimes see on TV…

"_Don't even think about it,"_ the voice of Denryu said in her head. Karin opened her eyes in excitement. _Denryu! You're here!_

"_Of course I am, and FYI, Shinigami meditation is based on internal reiatsu manipulation, not the type of meditation in the human world. That might work for your personal issues, but not for growing stronger. Now come; since you called to me I assume that you require my assistance."_

Karin felt a dropping sensation in the pit of her stomach, and the next thing she knew she was back at that familiar island that she had visited in the past.

"_We're here," Denryu said, speaking loudly over the howl of the wind and the roaring of the sea._

"_What?" Karin yelled._

"_We're here!" Denryu called._

"_Well duh, I can see that!" Karin yelled. They were on the deck of the ship. Unlike the past several times where the weather had been clear, it was once again storming furiously. Huge waves crashed against the boat, the sky was nearly black, rain was coming down in sheets, and the gusting wind nearly knocked Karin over._

"_Come below deck if you wish to speak!" Denryu yelled, leading her across the wooden deck and down a set of stairs. He closed the door behind them as they went below deck, blocking out much of the noise from outside._

_Karin shook herself off. She was soaking wet from her short time out in the rain. While she was wringing her clothes and hair out, Denryu was lighting several candles, illuminating the room._

"_Tell me, do you like this weather?" he asked._

"_In-in all honesty?" Karin said, blowing out a bit of water, "No, not really."_

"_Well this is the type of weather I live in when you are in conflict and emotional turmoil," Denryu said._

"_I'm sorry, but it's not exactly a thrill ride to me either," Karin said._

"_In all the time I've spent in your soul, it has been very rare for it to be this bad," he said quietly, almost as if he hadn't heard her._

"_Well, I am kind of dealing with a lot of shit right now!" Karin said._

"_Oh? Why don't you tell me about it?" Denryu said._

"_You're my zanpakuto, shouldn't you already know?" Karin asked irritably._

"_Humor me," Denryu said, "Tell me what it is that bothers you." Karin sighed in frustration._

"_Let's see, Rangiku and Toushiro were both nearly killed, Momo can't teach me anymore, Ichigo is being an overprotective jerk, and your Shikai form is nearly useless!" Karin yelled._

"_Do you know what my Shikai form does?" Denryu asked._

"_No, but-"_

"_Then how can you say it's useless?" Denryu said. Karin sighed._

"_Look, I'm sorry I said it's useless, I'm just really stressed out right now!" she said._

"_Perhaps a bit of practice would put your mind at ease," Denryu said. He held out his hand and conjured a copy of Karin's Shikai. Without warning, he tossed it to her. Karin let out a yell of surprise and jumped out of the way as it landed on the wooden deck, sticking into the floor boards._

"_Are you insane?! You nearly skewered me!" Karin said in a shrill voice._

"_Not likely, I have faith in your abilities to dodge. Now fight me," Denryu said._

"_What?"_

"_You want to get stronger, don't you?"_

"_Well yeah, but when I called out to you I was hoping for advice on Momo and Ichigo, not to mention Rangiku and Toushiro," Karin said._

"_Too bad," Denryu said. He made a quick movement as if he were about to attack, and Karin reflexively grabbed the sword stuck in the ground next to her._

"_That's better. Now take your stance."_

_Karin quickly took her stance, holding the rapier-like sword in front of her. She kept her right hand on the grip and her left on the pommel for control._

"_Hmmm… Very interesting…" Denryu said. With that, he lunged at her, thrusting his sword forward. Karin tried to block it, but could only knock the tip against his sword, and ended up stepping back instead._

_Denryu followed by flicking the sword to the side in a short cut, Karin tried to block this, but as with before her light-weight sword was not able to stop her opponent's, even though it was almost exactly the same. She ended up dodging and ducking the strikes rather than attempting to block them._

"_Your dodging is good, but your swordsmanship form is all wrong," Denryu noted, thrusting his sword forward and narrowly missing Karin._

"_I'm using my sword the way Momo taught me," Karin said._

"_No, you're using your sword the way she taught you how to use a katana. If you use a rapier as a katana, you're destined to fail."_

"_She said something like that too, but I don't know how. A katana is all I've ever used," Karin said._

"_Well then it's time to learn something different," Denryu said, "Listen to me closely: The key to using a rapier is point control. A katana uses the base section, the middle section, and the end for cutting and the tip for stabbing as well as cutting. With a rapier, the tip is the only part you'll be attacking with. You'll primarily use thrusts and stabs, with occasional cuts with the edges at the tip."_

"_So you're saying that a rapier has much more limited attack capabilities?" Karin asked._

"_To some extent, yes, but also keep in mind that there are things you can do with a rapier that can't be done with a katana," Denryu explained, "Now, as for defense, a rapier does not block, it parries. Your objective will not be to block an opponent's blade, but to push it aside."_

"_So are you going to train me how to do that?" Karin asked._

"_No," Denryu said, "Not today."_

"_But I can't just figure it out on my own, and Momo isn't able to help me anymore!" Karin protested._

"_Is it you that needs her help or the other way around?"_

"_What? I don't understand."_

"_You will eventually," Denryu said, "Now I must bid you goodbye. I'm sure we will meet again soon."_

The next thing Karin knew, she was back in Momo's bed. She sighed. So much for getting help from Denryu. She looked at the clock, and realized that it was after midnight. She had been in her inner world for much longer than she thought. She was about to go to bed when she heard a rustling sound outside the room. She then noticed a bit of light shining under the doorway.

Curious, she got out of bed and walked to the door. She opened it and walked down to hall to the kitchen, where the light was coming from. When she got there, she saw that Momo was standing over the counter.

"Vice-Captain Hinamori?" Karin asked. Momo jumped and turned around.

"Karin! What…what are you doing up?" she said in a shaky voice.

"I heard a noise and went to check," Karin said. She noticed that Momo was very pale, and that she seemed to be covered in sweat. She wore a pale blue nightgown and her hair was loose rather than in its usual bun. There were several bottles on the counter, as well as a cup of tea.

"What are those?" Karin asked.

"Oh…these… They're just some pills to help me sleep and calm down," she said awkwardly, looking away as if ashamed of relying on medications.

"Why are you up?" Karin asked.

"I…I had a nightmare," Momo admitted.

"What happened in it?" Karin asked. Momo did not speak for a minute, and Karin began to wonder if she was asking too personal questions, but then she answered.

"I…I dreamed that Toushiro died…" she said, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"Oh…I see…" Karin said.

"I…I dreamed that he died before we had the chance to make up…" Momo said, "Our…our friendship has collapsed, and we both said really stupid things to eachother. What if…what if one of us died before ever making up? We…we… Sorry Karin, I shouldn't be bothering you with all this."

"No, it's okay Momo- I mean Vice- Captain Hinamori," Karin said.

"You don't have to call me that here," Momo said.

"Very well then Momo," Karin said, "If you're so worried, why don't you two make up?"

"It's not that simple. Everything between us is awkward now. We were such good friends, but then we got jealous of eachother and began having arguments about how we treated eachother. Whenever we see eachother, we can't even say anything. It's too awkward," Momo said.

"That doesn't really make much sense," Karin noted.

"I know, but that's how it is," Momo sighed, "There are just so many issues, I wouldn't know where to start. Besides, I don't even know if he still cares about me."

"He definitely does," Karin said promptly.

"You really think so?" Momo asked.

"I know so," Karin said, "First, a friendship like the one you two had doesn't just go away. Second, back in the world of the living, Toushiro talked about you all the time."

"Really? He did? But…but Toushiro's not even a talkative person…" Momo said, her eyes wide.

"Well he talked about you. Not directly by name, but he was definitely talking about you. He would watch sunsets, saying they 'reminded him of old times with a friend' and whenever I asked him what he was thinking about, he'd always vaguely mention something about a friend of his. I remember one time…"

As Karin spoke, Momo's eyes filled with tears, and she had to quickly wipe them away.

"He…he said those things about me?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady, "He really thought of me that much?"

"Of course! He cares a lot about you, and I know you care a lot about him! So why not patch up your friendship with him? Sure it might be awkward, but it would be worth it wouldn't it?" Karin said.

"Yes…yes you're right!" Momo said, "As soon as Toushiro wakes up, I'm going to go talk to him!"

---

Toushiro twitched and shook in his hospital bed. His head thrashed from side to side as memories replayed over and over in his head.

"_Come on and fight me you damn monster!" Toushiro growled, "I'm not dead yet, so come and fight me!"_

_The beast hissed and leapt into the air, its swords held up ready to strike. Toushiro raised his zanpakuto to meet the beast, using what little strength he had left to block the monstrous being's vicious blows. It was no use however. He was too wounded, and the creature too fast and strong. He was soon overwhelmed, and with a strike from the beast, his zanpakuto was knocked from his hand. He collapsed to the ground, knowing that this fight was as good as over._

_As the beast raised its swords for the killing blow however, it suddenly turned its head in the other direction. Moments later, a giant energy blast engulfed the spot the creature had been standing. Toushiro blinked as he watched the energy blast fly by right in front of him, feeling dizzy from his wounds and exhaustion._

_The world seemed to spin around him, and his vision blurred. He saw a figure standing over him, recognizing who it was only moments before passing out._

Toushiro's eyes opened. He glanced around, his murky mind taking in the place around him. He was quickly able to determine that he was in the Fourth Division, and the large amount of medical equipment around him reminded him that he had been badly injured. He formed his good hand into a fist, clenching it in anger and frustration. Were it not for the breath mask covering his face, he would have yelled.

He had lost. He had been completely overwhelmed and brutalized. Had it not been for Unohana's intervention, he would surely have been killed. He didn't even know who or what his opponent was, though it was obvious that it was connected to his earlier skirmish with the strange warriors. Something very odd was going on. Though his mind was still rather fuzzy, there was one thing he knew: he had to get to the bottom of this.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to nexuswarrior, Hinata-cutie, blackwitchkarma, war90, DXmaryoOD, Taeniaea, Chillis, Guibin, DigiPal, Revolation, The Great Pineapple MEKI, and Thunder Claw03 for reviewing! I made this chapter end a little sooner than I originally planned, both for pacing reasons and because several people in the past have said that my chapters were a bit too long. For future reference, I would appreciate your input on whether I should make my chapters shorter or longer. Please review!


	23. Chapter 23

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 23_

"We are in a state of high alert. All Shinigami are to be completely mobilized. I want one hundred Shinigami to stand watch around our domain, with none more than twenty meters from another. Division Squads 10-20 should be enough for that task. Squad 1 and Squad 2 will stay here in the main offices. Squads 3-9 will take patrol duty. The remainder of our forces are to split between the South Barracks, the Sakura Road outpost, and the training grounds to stand by for action. We're on high alert, so don't let your guard down."

"Yes Vice-captain Hinamori!" the five Shinigami officers before her said with bows. They promptly left to carry out her orders. Momo turned to Ichigo who stood off to the side.

"As for you, I'll have you file a request for a fifteen percent increase in division funding. That should be enough to cover expenses for the rest of the month. Place all bonuses on hiatus and suspend paid vacations to make up for the lost funds," she said professionally, "The necessary paperwork should be in file cabinet B, folder 13."

"Uh, yeah, I'll get right to that…" Ichigo said, amazed at the authority Momo spoke with.

"The entire division is on high alert, so make sure you perform all matters from here on out swiftly and promptly. Be efficient and don't waste any time," Momo said.

"Yes ma'am!" Ichigo said nearly chuckling. Momo looked up at him disapprovingly.

"I mean it, don't goof off. If you had been doing the job properly, there wouldn't be as much of a rush," she said.

"Right, right, sorry about that. Just a bit of a nervous reaction I guess," Ichigo said while scratching his head, "I guess I forgot how well you handle things around here. You don't really look the part of a leader yelling out orders, so it's a strange sight." Momo herself smiled a bit at this.

"A leader has to be strong and maintain discipline. If they are not, things will fall apart," she said.

"Like what happened when I was in charge, huh?" Ichigo said with mild amusement.

"Bluntly put, yes. Now hurry up and fill out those papers! I have to go make sure that the division is properly mobilized.

---

When Momo returned home that evening, she was utterly exhausted. Ichigo had let things run pretty wildly when he was in charge of the division, and it took a lot of work to get things back to normal. She wanted to believe that he would get better (and he was certainly improving) but she would be lying if she said that she wasn't a bit worried for the future of her division. She shook the thought away quickly though. Now that she was home, she would have some peace and quiet to relax in.

"Momo! Momo, there's something I have to tell-"

"Vice-Captain Hinamori, call me Vice-Captain Hinamori," Momo corrected the excited Karin. She had forgotten that Karin was staying with her.

"But you said last night-"

"I was wearing informal attire last night. When I'm in uniform, you should address me by my title," Momo said.

"I… Very well then, Vice-Captain Hinamori.

"That's better," Momo said with a smile. She then reached over and removed her Adjutant's badge from her shoulder. "There, now you can call me by name."

"Um, okay then…" Karin said, not really seeing what difference a little badge makes, "I have something to tell you, Momo."

"Can it wait? I'm really tired right now, and I have to go do my daily exercises before I end up letting myself become complacent."

"It's actually kind of important," Karin said.

"Sorry, we'll talk later!" Momo said, running off to her room.

"Fine, then maybe I won't tell you," Karin said stubbornly, even though Momo was no longer present to hear her.

Karin sat down on the couch and waited, hoping that Momo would come out soon and listen to the news Karin had. As time passed however, it was beginning to feel like Momo wouldn't come out any time soon. After a while, she looked up at the clock and realized that it had been twenty-five minutes since Momo had gone into her room.

Frustrated, Karin got up and walked down the hall to Momo's room. When she opened it, she found that Momo was doing sit-ups on the ground, wearing very little clothing. Karin nearly rolled her eyes.

"What's with that look? Surely you've been exercising all day while I was gone," Momo said with a small smirk as she continued to exercise. Karin blushed, realizing she had forgotten.

"I, uh, did a little, sort of…" she said. Momo nearly laughed, but kept a straight face.

"So is there anything you want?" she asked.

"Yeah, there's something important I have to tell you!" Karin said.

"Okay fine, just give me a minute to get up…" Momo said. She slowly stood up, breathing a little heavily from the exercise.

"Wow, you're in pretty good shape…" Karin said, forgetting about what she wanted to say as she looked at Momo's fit physique, covered only by a light tank top that exposed her midriff and some shorts that looked more like underwear. She turned away after a minute, not wanting it to seem like she was staring or gawking. She could not help but be amazed at how fit the seemingly young and fragile girl really was. Momo was definitely full of surprises.

"Well, as a Vice-Captain I have to stay in top physical condition," Momo said in answer to Karin's statement, "Now what did you want to say."

"It's about Toushiro," Karin said.

"Oh, I see…" Momo said, her tone becoming much grimmer and losing the light tone it had moments before.

"He woke up!"

"What? Really?!" Momo said, her voice suddenly bright again. She seemed to be trying to keep her excitement under control as she spoke, though with little success, "How did you find out?"

"A butterfly flew in through the window while you were away. It landed on my finger and I heard its message in my head. I remembered seeing those butterflies before, and realized that it must have been a message meant for you," Karin explained.

"Why didn't you say so before?! This is fantastic news!"

"Well I did try to say so before, but you wouldn't… Oh never mind," Karin said as she rolled her eyes with a smile, "It is great news though, isn't it? Now you can go see Toushiro like you said!"

"What?" Momo said, suddenly snapping out of her cheerful mood.

"You said that as soon as he woke up, you would go talk to him and reestablish your friendship, remember?" Karin said.

"Oh… That's right, I did say that…" Momo said slowly.

"We could go to see him now if you wanted," Karin suggested.

"No, I think we should see him tomorrow. It's better that we all be rested up first, and besides, visiting hours will be over in a while," Momo said hastily, hoping that Karin did not notice her shaky reasoning, "We'll go tomorrow though, I promise!"

"Alright then, we'll go tomorrow," Karin nodded.

"Yes… I'll go make us dinner now, okay?" Momo hastily walked away, hoping that the doubt and anxiety was not too visible on her face.

---

Momo stood outside the door to Toushiro's hospital room. She fidgeted with a cloth-wrapped package that she held in her hands and took several deep breaths. She had to do this. It would be tough, but she absolutely had to. Beside her, Karin watched as she worked up the nerve to open the door.

"Go on," she said quietly. Momo nodded, gulping and slowly reaching for the door knob. She gripped it and cautiously turned it, opening the door.

Toushiro was lying in bed next to the window, his face illuminated by the morning sun. Momo silently walked in, taking care not to make a sound as she approached his bedside. He was sleeping peacefully, his expression lacking the usual coldness that he displayed during the day. Momo was reminded of the funny little boy he used to be as she looked at his peaceful expression. The lack of his usual scowl and chilly demeanor made his boyish features more visible. For a moment she considered not waking him up and instead watching him sleep like this, but she brushed that idea away. She reached out her hand and gently tapped him on the shoulder.

Toushiro's made a small groan and shifted a little in bed before settling back in his original position. Momo gave him another cautious nudge, and this time Toushiro's eyes cracked open for a moment. He closed his eyes and opened them again, squinting up at Momo. He stared at her for a minute or two before speaking.

"Momo…?" he said weakly. Momo bit her lip and nodded, tears threatening to emerge from her eyes.

"Yes Toushiro, it's me…" she whispered.

"What're you doing here?" he asked. He began to sit up, but noticing his pained expression, Momo forced him back down.

"Don't move around Toushiro," Momo said, "I just came by to see you. I…I'm glad you're alive Toushiro… I mean Captain Hitsugaya."

"Don't call me that," Toushiro said, his voice quiet and expressionless.

"Sorry, I forget sometimes. I did correct myself though! Sorry about that Captain Hitsugaya," Momo said sadly.

"That's not what I meant. Stop calling me 'Captain Hitsugaya'. Just address me by name the way you used to," Toushiro said.

"But… you always scolded me for not addressing you by your title in the past!" Momo said in surprise.

"I know… and I regret it now," he said.

They were silent, both of them looking at eachother only through the corners of their eyes. Momo chewed on her lip nervously and Toushiro was gripping the bed sheet tightly with his good hand. Both were extremely tense. Momo finally broke the tense silence after a few minutes.

"I, uh, brought you some amanatto!" she said, holding up the cloth-wrapped package, "I know it's your favorite. I probably didn't make them as well as granny did, but I'm sure they'll still be good!" Toushiro stared at the package before looking up at Momo.

"I can't eat anything solid for a few days. I have some bruising on my stomach and Captain Unohana said that she wasn't sure if my body could handle eating anything right now," he said.

"Oh… sorry…" Momo said, setting the package down.

"I heard you were allowed to resume Vice-Captain duties," Toushiro said.

"Um, yeah, that's true!" Momo said.

"Are you still training Karin?" he asked.

"No, not officially. I suppose that she's still sort of my apprentice, but I won't have as much time to train her as I did before," Momo explained.

"Ah, I see. Where is she now?" he asked.

"She's standing right over by the door," Momo said. She turned around and gestured for Karin to come in. She walked over to the side of Toushiro's bed and bent over to look at him.

"You look a lot better than you did before," she said in greeting, "I'm sure you'll be better in no time." Toushiro looked at her skeptically, unconvinced of her sincerity.

"I mean it! I'm sure you'll get better soon and be able to go and take revenge on whatever did this!" Karin said. Toushiro's face suddenly turned dark.

"I doubt that will happen," Toushiro said, "The thing that did this was far stronger than I am. There's no way I could have beat it."

"But you're so strong! Aren't you the one that everybody calls a prodigy? The one who people say has the potential to become one of the greatest Captains in the history of the Gotei 13?" Karin said.

"It's no use. I was beaten, there's no way around that. Because I wasn't strong enough, both Matsumoto and myself were nearly killed," Toushiro said, his voice bitter, "I have to find out what's going on. This is bigger than that thing that attacked us, there's something else…"

Karin looked at him and then at Momo, who was quietly standing off to the side. Karin cleared her throat and nudged her, trying to urge her to say what she had come here to say. Momo didn't say anything, so Karin nudged her again and made a fake coughing sound.

"What's wrong with you?" Toushiro asked.

"Oh, nothing…" Karin said nonchalantly, "Hey Momo, wasn't there something you wanted to say?"

"I, um, I don't know…" Momo said nervously.

"Are you sure you don't know what you wanted to say?" Karin asked with emphasis.

"I… No…" Momo said nervously.

"Well you said before that you wanted to work out your problems with Toushiro and patch up your friendship," Karin said bluntly. There was a stunned silence in the room. Both Momo and Toushiro were unable to say anything. It wasn't until several minutes later that Momo was finally able to speak.

"H-Hey Karin, why don't you go check on Rangiku?" Momo suggested.

"Fine," Karin said reluctantly, giving the two a significant look before walking out.

"So that's why you're here," Toushiro said.

"Yes, it is…" Momo said.

"Why now?" Toushiro asked.

"Because… Because I was afraid! I… I thought you might die! And you almost did! Look at yourself! What if…what if one of us died before ever having the chance to make up?" Momo asked, tears coming to her eyes.

"So you still care about me then?" Toushiro asked.

"Of course I do!" Momo said, "You're the most important person in the world to me! I…I want so badly to be your friend again that it hurts!"

"I feel the same way," Toushiro said, "You're a precious person to me, and it's been painful without you. I want to be friends again too."

"I… I don't know what to do," Momo said, "I don't know how we can restore our friendship."

"What do you mean? Didn't we both say that we wanted to be friends again?" he said.

"Oh Toushiro, you know it's not that simple? If we don't work out the root causes of what tore us apart, we'll never be able to be friends again!" Momo said.

"Yeah, I know…" Toushiro said. As he spoke, Momo noticed him wince and grimace for a moment.

"Toushiro, what's wrong? You made a face, does something hurt?" Momo asked.

"Everything hurts," Toushiro said, "My head hurts, my chest hurts, my stomach hurts, and my limbs hurt. But what hurts worst is my hand."

"Your hand?" Momo asked. Toushiro nodded.

"Yeah; half of it was cut off in the battle. Unohana reattached it, but I don't know how good it is. My entire hand hurts, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to use it normally after this," he said. Momo stared at him for a moment.

"Let me see it," Momo said.

"Huh?"

"Let me see it," Momo said again.

Toushiro did not respond immediately, looking at her questioningly. Eventually however, he slowly lifted his bandaged right hand up. Momo took his hand and carefully unwrapped the bandages around it. When she saw his hand, she nearly winced. Half of his hand was swollen and a bright pink color that contrasted to the normal skin on the other part of his hand. The swollen portion was attached to the rest of the hand rather roughly. There was a visible crease where it connected to the rest of his hand.

"Can you move it?" she asked.

"A little, but it hurts like hell," Toushiro said.

Momo nodded quietly and placed her hands on Toushiro's, one on each side. A pink glow surrounded her hands.

"Captain Unohana already did everything she could to heal it, there's nothing you can do for it," Toushiro said.

"Just stay still," Momo said, "I know what I'm doing."

Toushiro stayed still as she instructed. At first he felt a bit annoyed, believing this to be a useless gesture. Then, however, he began to feel strange. His hand stopped hurting as much, and a warm feeling overcame him. The rough connection between the severed portion of his hand and the main part became smoother. The flesh connected more completely. Blood vessels and muscles that had been severed joined up with eachother again, and the swelling in his hand went down. After several minutes, Momo took her hands away, leaving Toushiro to stare in amazement at his now healed hand. It still hurt a bit, but overall it had been healed remarkably well. He was able to move his fingers and it was not swollen as it had been before.

"How… how did you do that?" Toushiro asked, "Captain Unohana said that it would take a long time before it healed."

"Captain Unohana probably focused more on your other wounds," Momo said, "But there's also the fact that our reiatsu is similar to eachother's. I'm good at healing kido, but not as much of an expert as senior Fourth Division members. The reason I was able to heal you like that was because the reiatsu in our bodies are so in tune with eachother. We've spent so much of our life together, our bodies are able to recognize eachother's reiatsu and will heal faster than if it were someone else."

"I never thought of that…" Toushiro said.

"Yes, when we grew up together in Rukongai, our reiatsu developed with us alongside eachother. It's almost as if-"

"Rukongai!" Toushiro suddenly said, "That's what we have to do! Rukongai must be investigated!"

"What?" Momo said in confusion.

"I was first attacked in Rukongai. There were other strange occurrences too. I have to tell the other Captains to investigate Rukongai!" Toushiro said, beginning to sit up. Momo forced him back down however.

"Don't even think about it. There's already an investigation going on, you'll only put yourself through stress if you try to join in on it," Momo said, "Besides, I came all this way to talk to you! You can't leave now!"

"I know, but… I've experienced more of what's going on than anyone else. It has to be me! I'm well enough to advise, and you and I can talk later-"

"Don't you dare!" Momo said, "I'm not going to let you hurt yourself trying to help. You just stay here! I wanted to talk to you, but since you don't seem to consider that important I'll just leave!"

"No, Momo, wait!" Toushiro said.

"No, I'm going!" Momo said, "You can just 'talk to me later', right? I can't believe you. I come to try to work things out, and you just want to get away as soon as possible."

"That's not it! I just meant-"

"Forget it. I'm not in the mood to talk anymore," Momo said bitterly, turning to leave the room, "So long Toushiro; when you decide that you can stand the inconvenience of talking to me, I'll come back."

---

Momo nibbled on the amanatto that she had made for Toushiro as she sat at the table in her quarters, a depressed look on her face. She had tried to talk to Toushiro, she really had, but he only cared about the investigation into what was happening. She understood that he felt a responsibility to work on the issue, but it made Momo feel upset and rejected. It wasn't like he could do anything anyways, so why did he mess up the perfect opportunity for them to patch up their friendship.

She sighed. Maybe Toushiro wasn't to blame; maybe it was her who reacted too harshly. He was probably a bit confused after all, given the injuries he'd sustained. This thought made Momo feel even worse, as it meant that it was her who had rejected the opportunity to talk out their problems.

She ate the amanatto slowly but persistently all day long. After a few hours, she had begun to have a stomach ache, but she kept eating absentmindedly. She was beginning to feel like there was nothing she could do to repair her friendship with Toushiro. Both of them kept screwing up any chances of being friends again. Even though they both wanted to make up, it just wasn't that simple.

"Why are you just sitting there? I thought you were going to make up with him," Karin said disapprovingly, "You said before that you weren't going to put it off any longer, remember?"

"I know, I just… I don't know. Things went wrong this morning, I know that, but there will be another chance. Maybe tomorrow-"

"Why not go tonight?" Karin asked.

"It's already past visiting hours, I can't go tonight," Momo said.

"Well why not sneak in then?" Karin suggested. Momo smiled a little at this.

"You have an interesting way of looking at things," she said.

"Hey, I just want you two to resolve this as soon as possible," Karin said, "If you keep putting it off, it will never get done. If I were you, I'd go see him right now."

"Maybe… maybe that's not such a bad idea," Momo said, "Yeah… I'll do it! I should probably apologize for running off earlier anyways."

"Can I come with you?" Karin asked.

"Sorry, but I think that it would be better for me to go alone," Momo said, "I'd better go soon though. I'll see you later."

Momo stood up and left abruptly, leaving Karin behind.

"Well that wasn't as hard as I thought," Karin mused to herself. She had been sure that it would take more than that to convince Momo to go visit Toushiro after visitation hours were over. She sat down and helped herself to the remaining amanatto, content to wait until Momo got back.

---

It was hours before Momo returned. It was dark Karin had nearly fallen asleep on the couch when the door was thrown open and a distressed looking Momo walked in. Her face was pale and she looked out of breath.

"He…he's gone!" she gasped.

"What do you mean?" Karin asked.

"He's gone! Toushiro's gone! He wasn't in his room and he wasn't at any of the other places I looked! There's no way he was well enough to have been released already, something's happened!" Momo said in distress.

"But what?" Karin asked. Momo anxiously paced for a minute before abruptly stopping.

"Rukongai! He said before that he wanted to go inspect Rukongai!" she said.

"In his condition?" Karin said skeptically.

"He doesn't understand what he's doing. He only just woke up and is probably still disoriented. He's in no condition to do anything like what he was talking about earlier. I have to go after him before he gets hurt!"

"Follow after him? Isn't that-"

"Yes it's against the rules, but I have no choice! Toushiro will get punished too if he's caught; I have to find him and take him back before dawn! Karin, stay here, I'm going to find Toushiro," Momo said.

"I want to come with you. Toushiro is my friend too, and besides, two sets of eyes are better than one," Karin said.

"I'll be sneaking out of Seireitei and be putting myself in an area with known enemies. I can't take you with me, it would only put you in danger," Momo said.

"If you don't take me with you, I'll tell the authorities about what you're doing," Karin said stubbornly. Momo sighed. She couldn't waste time arguing over this.

"Fine, but take your zanpakuto and be careful. I don't know what's going to happen while we're out there, so do whatever I tell you," Momo said.

"How are you going to find him? Rukongai is a big place…"

"We'll only need to search the areas that he would pass through. He specifically mentioned searching the districts with unusual occurrences. If I search those areas, I should be able to pick up a reiatsu trail and follow it to Toushiro."

---

After leaving Seireitei, Momo and Karin searched for hours. No matter how hard they looked however, there was no trace of Toushiro. Momo thought she sensed Toushiro's reiatsu from time to time, but it always ended up being a false lead. Soon it was nearly dawn, and Momo and Karin were getting tired from searching.

"It's no good. We'll have to return to Seireitei before it's discovered we left without permission," Momo said.

"What's going on? Where could he be? It's not like Toushiro to-"

"Karin! Get down!" Momo suddenly yelled, suddenly pushing her to the ground. When she looked up, she saw that Momo had her sword drawn, and that there was a shallow cut across her cheek. She looked over and saw that there were two figures standing, outlined against the faint light of dawn.

"Well, it looks like you did come. We heard that you might!" a voice cackled.

"We were lucky to have found you," another voice said. Momo's eyes narrowed as she looked at the dark figures. Though it was dark, she could clearly see white pieces of bone-like substance attached to their faces.

"Arrancars…" she muttered, "Karin, get behind me!"

Karin began to stand up, but as soon as she did so, there was a burst of static-like noise, and a moment later she and one of the arrancars had disappeared.

"Karin!" Momo yelled. She turned to the other arrancar, "What did you do to her?!" she yelled angrily, fearing for Karin's safety.

"Oh, my companion just took her somewhere else to fight. Whichever one of us kills our quarry first will go to aid the other. I suspect it will be him, as it seems that girl was a novice who could not possibly stand up against an arrancar.

Momo grit her teeth. She knew he was right; Karin was neither strong enough, skilled enough, nor experienced enough to fight off an arrancar. She was good, and had developed at an astonishing pace, but arrancars were in an entirely different league. She had no idea where Karin was, and the arrancar in front of her probably wouldn't give her time to search. She would have to defeat her current opponent and go to help Karin afterwards. She gripped her sword tightly in preparation for battle.

_Please be okay, Karin…_


	24. Chapter 24

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 24_

Karin froze in shock. Momo was no longer at her side, and now she faced a strange and apparently hostile man. She was able to vaguely make out his features in the early morning light. He was a thin man with sharp features and a wide grin. He wore ragged white clothes and had an odd piece of bone-like material on his forehead. Karin noticed that there was a hole in his chest, and remembered being told by Rangiku of hollows that had removed their masks and gained the powers of Shinigami. She gulped, trying to remain calm, and spoke.

"Who- who are you?" she asked, failing to keep the fear out of her voice, "Where's Vice-Captain Hinamori? What have you done?"

"I am Aardo Verec!" he said loudly in a high pitched voice, "I am the mighty arrancar servant of the Fourth Rising!"

"What do you want with me?" Karin asked, not knowing what he was talking about, "Where is Vice-Captain Hinamori?"

"Your comrade is fighting my companion. As for you…" the arrancar drew his sword, "I'm going to kill you."

Karin's eyes widened in fear, and she immediately reached for her sword. Before it was even fully out of its sheath however, Aardo attacked. Karin leaned back just in time to miss the first slash, but before she could react any further, Aardo had thrust his sword forward, straight at Karin's throat. She couldn't dodge, and she couldn't block. She reflexively flinched, knowing that she would surely be killed.

When she opened her eyes however, she realized that his sword had stopped just as it touched her throat, nicking the skin but not killing her. Shaking, she reached up a hand and touched her throat in disbelief. There was a little blood, but she was not dead. She looked at the arrancar in shock and surprise. He merely grinned at her.

"I'm not going to throw away a fun little thing like you so quickly. I like to play around with my victims a while like a cat playing with a mouse._ Meow!_" he said with a harsh laugh, "Now raise your sword. This won't be any fun if you don't fight back! Even a weakling like you should be able to give me a bit of fun!"

Karin quickly raised her sword again. At the same moment, Aardo attacked, slashing at her repeatedly. Karin used the skills gained from training to keep up with him, but having never been in real combat before, was clearly outmatched. Only the fact that he was toying with her kept him from killing her immediately. Karin managed to block and dodge his blows, but she knew that she was no match for him. If Momo didn't come back soon, she would certainly be killed.

Karin ducked an incoming blow and tried to use the position to her advantage. She swiftly moved forward and lunged with her sword, trying to attack Aardo while his sword was still extended. It was no good however; Aardo was able to bring his sword back to block just before Karin's would have cut his chest.

"Ooh, clever girl," he chuckled, "You might give me a bit more fun than I expected. Tell me, can you do _this_?"

There was a sound like static, and the next thing Karin knew, Aardo was behind her. She quickly turned around, blocking a slash at her ankles.

"Not bad, you just saved yourself a foot! Though it seems you can't keep up with sonido…"

Karin lashed out at him, swinging her zanpakuto sideways in an attempt to slash Aardo across the chest. He dodged it, using his own blade to put Karin back on the defensive. Karin was now more grateful than ever for the harsh battle training Momo had given her. She was now just barely able to keep up with him as she slipped into a state of battle. Adrenaline flowed through her body and her senses became sharper. She was able to keep up better with Aardo's attacks as time passed and her training experiences took hold of her. She used everything Momo had taught her to keep up with her foe. Still, the battle seemed hopeless. She was up against a stronger, more experienced opponent. Her only hope was to hold out long enough for Momo to come save her.

"_Karin, use my power,"_ the voice of Denryu said in her head.

"_What?"_ Karin said in her mind.

"_Use my power to defeat this enemy,"_ Denryu said

"_I can't! I can barely use my Shikai! It's all but useless in combat! If I try that now, I'll be killed for sure!"_

"_If you wish to win, you will have to use it. Do you doubt your own power?"_ Denryu asked.

Karin held onto her zanpakuto tightly. Her Shikai form was less effective than her unreleased zanpakuto in combat. As much as she wanted to trust her zanpakuto, she just couldn't take the risk right now, not when a mistake meant death.

"_Sorry Denryu, but I'm going to have to do this my own way,"_ Karin said to herself.

---

"Snap, Tobiume!" Momo yelled, releasing an energy ball that exploded as it contacted the ground near her foe.

"Very nice," the arrancar she faced said, "With that power, you might actually pose a minor challenge."

"Where's Karin?" Momo said for the fourth time.

"Her location is irrelevant. She will die, as will you," he said. He thrust his forearms forward, releasing two spinning disks from plate-like objects on his forearms. Momo dodged one and deflected the other. The spinning disks returned to the arrancar like boomerangs.

"What is your name and why are you attacking us?" Momo asked.

"I am Hedra Nadd. As for my purpose here, I have no reason to reveal anything to you," he replied. The disks spun at high speeds on his forearms before he released them for another attack.

---

"Ichigo! Ichigo!" Rukia whispered. Ichigo grunted, awakening from his sleep.

"Rukia? What are you doing in my bedroom?" he asked sleepily.

"Something bad has happened," Rukia said urgently, "Karin's gone missing! So have Captain Hitsugaya and Vice-Captain Hinamori!"

"What?!" Ichigo said loudly, immediately sitting up, "When did this happen? What's going on?"

"I don't know," Rukia admitted, "I overheard my brother and Captain Ukitake talking. They say that Captain Hitsugaya has been missing since yesterday evening. A reiatsu detector sensed him leaving, but no one was monitoring it so an alert wasn't raised. About half an hour after he left, Vice-Captain Hinamori went into the area, but she quickly turned back, only to return several more times. Other sensors showed that she was roaming Seireitei for a while before returning to her quarters. After that, there were no more traces of her reiatsu, and when they checked, both she and Karin were gone."

"Damn it!" Ichigo growled, "Why did she take Karin with her? What was she thinking? What were all of them thinking?"

"It's suspected that Captain Hitsugaya wasn't entirely in his right mind, what with the injuries and the painkillers he was on. Vice-Captain Hinamori probably went to go find him, and for some reason brought Karin with her," Rukia said. As she spoke, Ichigo was quickly putting his Shinigami robes on.

"I can't sense her. Unless she's hiding in the absolute furthest part of it, she's not in Seireitei," Ichigo said.

"Are you sure? You're not really the best at sensing Reiatsu," Rukia said.

"I'm sure. She's my sister, we share a special bond. Whenever she was in Seireitei, I could almost always sense her when I wanted to. She only knows the most basic reiatsu concealment techniques, so I doubt that she would be able to hide it from me. Plus, if Toushiro isn't in Seireitei either, she wouldn't be assuming that your theory about her and Momo going after him is true."

"What will you do?" Rukia asked. Ichigo hesitated.

"Jidanbo. I'll ask Jidanbo if he saw anything strange. They might have snuck through the gates to Rukongai," Ichigo said. He ran to the door, grabbing his zanpakuto along the way.

"Wait, Ichigo!" Rukia yelled after him, but he already left.

Ichigo used shunpo to travel to the western gate, where the giant Jidanbo stood guard.

"Oh, Ichigo!" Jidanbo said in a booming voice, "It's a surprise to see you here! How are you?"

"Jidanbo, did anybody pass through this gate last night?" Ichigo said urgently, ignoring what Jidanbo said. Jidanbo hesitated, seemingly taken aback by the sudden question.

"Why no, of course not! Who would travel in the middle of the night!" he laughed nervously.

"Did you see anyone at all? Anyone passing by?" Ichigo asked insistantly.

"Nope, not a single person. You're the first person I've seen here since yesterday," Jidanbo said.

"Were there any strange occurences? Anything out of the ordinary?" Ichigo asked.

"Nope, everything was perfectly normal last night."

"Fine," Ichigo sighed, "Are you absolutely sure that nobody passed through the gate last night?"

"Of course not. I assure you that Captain Hitsugaya did not pass through the gate," Jidanbo said. Only moments after saying this, his face turned pale. Ichigo stared up at him, his eyes narrowed.

"Nobody said anything about Toushiro. Tell me the truth Jidanbo."

Jidanbo quivered for a moment before suddenly bursting into tears and collapsing to his knees with a thud. He pounded his fists into the ground, making the earth shake as he wailed.

"I'm a bad guard and a bad friend!" he sobbed, "It's true, I let Toushiro Hitsugaya through. I knew him since he was a child, I couldn't just refuse! I failed in my job as a gatekeeper! And I couldn't even keep my big mouth shut to keep the secret my friend trusted me with! Why am I so horrible?!"

"C-Calm down Jidanbo!" Ichigo said quickly, trying to end the giant's childish crying, "I won't tell anyone about this if you tell me exactly what happened."

"O-Okay," Jidanbo sniffled, "Captain Hitsugaya came and asked to exit Seireitei. He said he had something to check out. I…I couldn't bring myself to turn him away, so I let him out. That's all I know, he didn't tell me anything else!"

"Did anything else strange happen?" Ichigo asked. Jidanbo thought to himself for a moment.

"Yes, there was something odd," he said, "Late last night, after Captain Hitsugaya went through, there was this weird flash and I suddenly felt drowsy. I fell asleep for just a moment or two, but when I woke up, I checked things out and could find no evidence of any intruders. It was probably just my imagination, so don't make anything of it." Ichigo looked up at Jidanbo.

"Jidanbo, open the gate for me," he said.

"Why?" Jidanbo asked.

"I have… somebody to retrieve," Ichigo said vaguely. Jidanbo nodded and began opening the gate. At just that moment, Rukia appeared next to Ichigo, breathing heavily and glaring at Ichigo.

"Ichigo, you idiot!" she said, "You know I'm not as proficient in shunpo as you! I can't keep up with you going full speed like that! Either slow down or-"

"Sorry Rukia," Ichigo said, immediately shunpoing away as Jidanbo opened the gate.

"Damn it Ichigo!" Rukia yelled, using shunpo to go after him.

---

"Ha! It's useless to resist my power!" Hedra boasted, launching his disks again. Momo narrowly avoided them, and had to dodge again when they came back around. As they returned to Hedra, Momo launched a fireball from Tobiume. It hit the spinning disk, but did not knock it away. It returned to Hedra as it always did.

"I told you, it's no use! So long as my blades are spinning, they are under my complete control, and nothing you can do will stop them from doing so!"

Momo tried to close the distance between them, but Hedra let his disks fly again, forcing her to take a defensive position. She dodged one and deflected the other with her zanpakuto, but the one she dodged returned more quickly than she had expected, and grazed her left shoulder as it returned to Hedra. Acting quickly, Momo fired another energy blast, hoping to force her opponent back, but unfortunately her aim was not good enough. The fireball impacted some distance away from Hedra, leaving him unharmed.

"Is that all your zanpakuto can do? Fire off puny blasts? I overestimated you. Since you're clearly not going to continue being a challenge, I'm afraid I'll have to finish you off now." He thrust his arm forward, releasing one of his disks. Momo stared straight ahead with determination, holding her zanpakuto in front of her.

"Tenra!" she said, swinging the blade forward. The tip of her sword impacted with the spinning disk. The disk seemed to stop in mid-air, before falling unceremoniously to the ground with a clunk.

"What?" Hedra said in shock, "What did you do?!"

"You can only control those disks if they're spinning. It was obvious that disrupting the spin was all that was needed to disable them," Momo said.

"That… that's impossible! Nobody can stop my blades! I was just careless! It was just luck on your part, you cannot repeat the same thing twice!" Hedra yelled, launching his other disk. Momo brought her sword up again.

"Tenra," she said as the tip of her shikai hit the spinning disk. It fell to the ground with a clatter.

"This cannot be!" Hedra said in disbelief, "What the hell did you do?"

"You asked earlier if firing energy balls was the only power of my zanpakuto. I'll answer you now," Momo said calmly, "My zanpakuto's power is not to produce fireballs, it's to focus and conduct my reiatsu and kido. Forming my reiatsu into explosive blasts is just one of my abilities; there are several others. For example, Tenra, which I used just now. It focuses my reiatsu at the tip of my zanpakuto, creating a super-dense mass of reiatsu that disrupts things that come in contact with if. Think of it as a sort of miniature black hole of reiatsu. By focusing large amounts of energy at a tiny point, it creates a distorting effect that caused you to lose control of your disks."

"Damn you!" Hedra growled. Momo raised her sword.

"I'm going to ask you to surrender now. If you do so, your life will be spared," she said. Hedra's look of rage suddenly turned to amusement.

"You think you've won?" he laughed, "You have no idea who you're dealing with." He suddenly released a bala blast, forcing Momo to leap back. He followed with a cero, which Momo dodged by ducking in mid-air, landing on her feet below. She was unhurt, but the short distraction was enough for Hedra to retrieve his two blade-disks. He slammed them together, and began collecting spirit energy around him.

"Be my fortress, Armadura!" he yelled. The wind whipped up around him, and there was a bright flash that forced Momo to look away for just a moment. When she looked back, Hedra had changed into what Momo knew to be his resureccion form.

He looked like a giant, ridged clay pot. He had no discernable arms or lets, and he floated just above the ground. Four skull masks protruded from holes in it, one from each side. Small creases and markings were all over the strange form.

"So what do you think, Shinigami?" Hedra's voice echoed, coming from within his released form despite its lack of a mouth, "Are you as brave now as you were before?"

"Of course I am," Momo said with a small smile, "You've just lost your only possible advantage against me: mobility. You're now a very easy target for me." She raised her shikai above her head, collecting energy. With a yell, she swung it forward, releasing a truly massive energy ball, far larger than her previous ones. It impacted with Hedra, creating a huge explosion that nearly knocked her back.

When the smoke cleared however, Hedra was completely unharmed. Armored plates had extended over the holes from which the skull masks protruded, completely shielding him. An echoing chuckle came from him.

"Silly little girl…" The armor plating receded from over the masks, and from the mouth of the nearest one came a barrage of white objects. Thinking quickly, Momo erected a kido shield. Moments later, the objects exploded, throwing up dust and debris. Momo launched an energy ball, but once again Hedra closed the armor plates, blocking it.

Upon reopening it, a large number of spikes shot forth from the skull's mouth. They would have impaled Momo had she not leapt into the air just in time. She looked down at him, trying to think of what to do. He clearly had plenty in store for her if she kept attacking from the sides, but those masks didn't seem capable of launching projectiles at her while she was higher than it. She would have to defeat it from above.

"Bakudo 62, Hyapporankan!" she said. A silvery blue rod of energy formed in her hands, which she held firmly as she spoke her next words. "Hado 31, Shakkaho!" Using her expert Kido skills she spread the power of Shakkaho over the Hyapporankan spell. The energy rod now glowed red as Momo took aim at Hedra. She threw it downwards, the rod disintegrating into dozens of shorter rods as it flew down towards the top of Hedra's resureccion. The rods exploded upon impact as they collided one after the other against Hedra. When the smoke cleared however, Hedra was still unharmed.

Growling to herself, Momo launched two more fireballs at him, but they were no more successful than her previous attacks. The plates on the side opened, and from each of the four masks came a flaming rocket-like projection. They curved up towards Momo, trapping her between them so she couldn't dodge.

"Bakudo 55, Rippling Sphere!" she said quickly. A pink sphere of energy surrounded her just as the rockets were about to hit her. The shield shuddered and distorted, but it held up. Momo looked back down at Hedra. His defense was perfect. Nothing she did seemed capable of piercing his hard shell. She did have one trick up her sleeve though. It was dangerous and risky, but it was her best chance at victory.

"Hado 33, Sokatsui!" she yelled. A wide blue energy blast shot from her hand towards Hedra, who closed the plates over his masks once more, protecting himself from the attack. Before he could open them back up however, Momo cast another Kido spell. "Bakudo 63, Sajo Sabaku!" Chains of yellow energy encircled his resureccion form, preventing Hedra from opening the plates to the masks that he used for attacking. "Walls of ironsand, a priestly pagoda glowing ironclad fireflies. Standing upright, silent to the end. Bakudo 75, Quintet of One-Kan Iron Pillars!" Five tall, thick pillars slammed down on top of Hedra, pinning his bulky form to the ground. His for shuddered and strained against the kido spells, and Momo knew that she could not hold him for long. Aware that her time was limited, she quickly moved onto the next part of her plan. She went back to the ground, moving close to the struggling Hedra. She held her shikai horizontally in front of her, placing her left hand just above the flat side of the blade.

"Demons of the netherworld amass. Tear fissures in the earth and let the fires of hell consume all. May the screams echo to the world's core. Hado 95, Flames of Damnation!"

Black flames sprung forth from Momo's left hand, completely surrounding her zanpakuto in a shroud of intensely hot flames. They swirled around it for a moment before seeming to bond with the blade, making it look as if her sword itself was made of the dark fire. At that exact moment, Hedra broke free of the golden chains, and the tall pillars trapping him to the ground crumbled to pieces as he let out a blast of reiatsu from his body.

Before he could rise more than a few feet off the ground however, Momo brought forth her blade, slashing across one of the masks that had just exposed itself. Her blade cut through both it and the surrounding part of the shell as easily as if it were butter, leaving a trail of molten material where her sword had passed through. She rushed over to the next mask, dragging her sword across the side as she did so, leaving a glowing slash mark as she went. The next mask tried to release a blast of spikes, but Momo ducked and stabbed it from below.

Realizing that they could not risk exposing themselves to this new power, the remaining two masks began to withdraw into the protective shell. Before the first one could however, Momo appeared and slashed it in two. The final remaining mask successfully withdrew, but it would soon find that this did no good, as Momo stabbed her flaming blade straight through the plate-like armor covering it, piercing the mask behind it.

All four masks now destroyed, Momo leapt on top of Hedra's resureccion. She lifted her blade up before thrusting it into the top. She held it there as the massive being shuddered. Several moments passed, Momo keeping her zanpakuto in place. Finally, Hedra shook and returned to his normal form in a battered state. Momo landed on her feet and extinguised the black flames from her blade.

"How? How did you…" Hedra gasped.

"I told you, my zanpakuto is a conductor for kido. I was able to use it with a high level kido spell to pierce your armor. Now, onto what I was asking before. I'd like you to tell me where your partner took Karin Kurosaki," Momo said.

"I…I don't know," Hedra panted, trying in vain to get up, "He just took her to some random place to fight her. She's probably already dead by now." Momo clenched her fist, trying to keep her voice calm as she spoke.

"Tell me what is going on and why you attacked us," she said to him.

"I'm not telling you shit, Shinigami," Hedra chuckled darkly. Momo growled.

"Fine, I don't have time to waste with you. I'm going to go find Karin and defeat your partner just as I defeated you."

"Didn't I already tell you? She's certainly dead by now! I could tell right away that she was no match for Aardo. If you find her, it will be as a corpse," Hedra said.

"You're wrong. Karin is strong, she'll be able to hold out until I get there," Momo said, "Now I'm afraid I can't waste any more time with you. Crawl back to wherever you came from and never come near here again."

"Yeah right," Hedra growled, "As soon as my wounds heal, I'm coming back, and I'm gonna kill you and all of your Shinigami companions!"

"I see," Momo said, putting away her zanpakuto, "I guess it can't be helped then. I wanted to be merciful, but I do have duties as a Vice-Captain to uphold." She walked over to Hedra and put a foot on his back to hold him down while placing a finger at the base of his skull.

"H-Hey! What are you-"

"Hado 4, Byakurai."

* * *

Thanks for reading. Thank you to nexuswarrior, war90, Taeniaea, Nightraze, DigiPal, The Great Pineapple MEKI, Psyco101, Snowy Peach Tsubasa, and The Catch for reviewing! Sorry for this being a bit later than usual. Next chapter will feature Karin's fight. Please review!


	25. Chapter 25

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 25_

Ichigo used bursts of shunpo to travel through Rukongai. In his desperation to find Karin, he was able to travel fast, searching entire districts in a matter of minutes. He looked for any sign of Karin, along with Momo or Toushiro. He was unable to feel even a trace of their reiatsu however, and he was overcome with worry.

Suddenly, in mid-shunpo, he stopped. He immediately tried to use shunpo again, but it didn't work. He looked around in confusion. This had never happened before. The field he was in did not appear unusual, he was simply unable to use shunpo any more.

"Yay! It worked! It worked!" a cheerful voice said behind him.

Ichigo spun around to see a female Shinigami with dark hair tied up with a ribbon behind him.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" he asked, placing a hand on his zanpakuto, unsure who this person was.

"Oh, hey Ichigo!" the girl said brightly, "How are you doing? It's nice to see you again!"

"What are you talking about and how do you know my name?" Ichigo said.

"Oh right, you don't remember…" the girl said, "Tell you what, after we're done, I'll tell you."

"Done with wha- Hey!" Ichigo was barely able to draw his sword in time before the girl attacked with her own zanpakuto.

"Ooh, nice reflexes Ichigo!" she said.

"What the hell are you doing? Tell me who you are and what the hell you're up to!" Ichigo growled.

"Don't you remember your old pall Senna?" the girl asked with a pout, "Oh well, I guess that can't be helped."

"I don't have time to deal with you," Ichigo muttered, "Bankai!"

Reiatsu swirled around Ichigo, concentrating around him as he began to go into bankai. Just as he did however, a strange feeling came over him, and his bankai disappeared as soon as it had appeared.

"What the…"

"Hooray! That worked too!" Senna said brightly, "Usagi's work is amazing!"

"Move out of my way," Ichigo ordered sternly, ignoring her cheerful demeanor, "I have important business to take care of and I don't have the time to deal with you."

"Awwwww, that's too bad Ichigo, I was hoping we could catch up on old times!" Senna said, "I guess I'll just have to fight you without a nice conversation." Ichigo glared at her.

"If you let me leave now, I'll be willing to spare your life," he said, "I have something urgent to attend to. If you fight me now, I will not show you mercy."

"This, 'urgent thing' is finding your sister, right?" Senna said, "Would you like me to tell you where she is?"

Ichigo did not answer verbally, instead lunging at her with his sword.

"That's the spirit!" she said cheerfully.

"Tell me where Karin is!" Ichigo yelled.

"Only if you beat me!" Senna said playfully. Ichigo growled. It seemed that he had no choice but to fight this girl. He could only hope that Karin would be okay until he found her…

---

Karin let out a startled cry as Aardo's sword clipped her cheek. He cackled as she attempted to steady herself in a defensive stance.

"You'll never beat me like this! Not that you could anyways, but especially not like this! You're just a shrimpy little brat!" he laughed.

Karin jumped back as Aardo slashed at her ankles. He was playing around with her. He knew as well as she did that her situation was hopeless, and was taking his time to play with her before killing her. Karin tried to think of something, anything, that she could do to turn the battle in her favor, but nothing she thought of would work. Despite all of her training with Momo, she had nothing with which she could defeat this arrancar. The difference in strength and skill between them was simply too great.

"You're gonna get cut up even more if you just stand there!" Aardo yelled, slashing at her and inflicting a deep cut on her shoulder. Karin instinctively clutched her shoulder, but this only gave the arrancar an opportunity for another strike. He brought down his sword in a wide arc, cutting through her brown robes and into her side. Karin tried to counterattack, but he easily blocked her strike and kicked her in the chest, sending her staggering back.

Struggling to catch her breath, she watched as he laughed at her. This was it, she was really going to die. She'd never see Ichigo again. She's never see Rangiku again. She'd never see Momo or Toushiro again. She'd never be able to laugh or eat or play soccer again. Just as her life as a human had ended, now her time as a soul was ending. She would never live to become a Shinigami or earn her brother's acknowledgement. Everything would end for her in the field where she stood. She had tried everything, but nothing worked. It was hopeless.

"_It's not hopeless,"_ Denryu's voice echoed in her head.

_Yes it is,_ Karin thought, _There's nothing left for me to do. I'm certain to die. There's nothing I can possibly do to save myself._

"_You're so quick to declare your situation hopeless, yet you have not even attempted to use my power."_

_But I can't use your power! I don't know how, and using your shikai form will just put me at a worse disadvantage!_ Karin argued.

"_If you're 'certain to die' anyways, what harm is there in using my power?"_ Denryu said.

_I… I don't…_

"_Trust me, Karin,"_ Denryu's voice said before fading away. Karin took a deep breath and gripped her zanpakuto.

"Very well, I'll trust you," she said to herself, "Repel, Denryu!"

Her zanpakuto changed with a flash of light. The curved single edge was replaced with a straight double edge, the grip shortened, and the tsuba was replaced by an elaborate golden wire guard. Karin held her shikai in front of her, gripping it with her right hand and holding onto the pommel with her left.

"Oh-ho! It looks like you did have another trick up your sleeves!" Aardo chuckled, "Good thing I didn't kill you. Now, let's see what you can do!"

He leapt at her, slashing with his sword. Karin attempted to block, but as was the case in the past, the sword was too light to stand up against her foe's blade. Her blade was easily knocked aside, and it was only by ducking that she avoided losing her head. From a crouching position, she thrust up her zanpakuto, attempting to spear Aardo through the stomach, but he brought his sword back down, knocking her shikai down and pinning it to the ground. She was only just able to pull it back when Aardo slashed at her again. In a panic, Karin momentarily let go with her left hand. She stuck out her zanpakuto, trying to block the attack, but the movement did not have enough force behind it.

To Karin's surprise however, by thrusting her zanpakuto forward and to the side with one hand, she had pushed Aardo's sword to the side, in effect protecting herself just as well as if she had blocked it. She looked down at the sword in her hand. She had been told that the short grip of a rapier was more suited to one-handed use, but she had never strayed far from the katana style of combat that she had been initially taught. Gripping the sword tightly, she held it out one handed in front of her. She supposed that she would have to learn the hard way…

Aardo hacked at her again. Karin stepped to the side and swiped her blade sideways, impacting the arrancar's zanpakuto and stopping it. The success was only momentary however, as Aardo quickly pushed her blade away and attacked again. Karin crouched to avoid the strike, thrusting her blade forward to deflect another blow and attacking Aardo at the same time. She felt a renewed sense of confidence. She might actually be able to pull this off.

That confidence was shattered when Aardo brought his sword back around and swatted Karin's away, cutting into her forearm with the same strike. Karin staggered back as Aardo laughed.

"That's a nice little sword technique you've got there, but it just can't stand up against a solid sword blow," he cackled, "You should have known that you'd never be able to block one of my strikes with such a frail sword!"

Karin glared at him. He was right. Despite a moderate degree of success, her shikai was simply not sturdy enough to consistently repel blows.

"_Karin, focus your reiatsu through the blade,"_ Denryu said in the back of her mind. Karin hesitated, but decided that it was worth a shot.

She took a deep breath and focused her reiatsu into her zanpakuto. She had practiced enough that this was no longer a difficult task, but it still took some concentration. She looked at her zanpakuto with disappointment as she let her reiatsu flow through it. It didn't appear to change at all. As she focused on her zanpakuto, she realized that Aardo was closing in for another strike. Cursing herself for forgetting that she was still in combat, she attempted to swing her zanpakuto, but Aardo's zanpakuto was already so close that the swing had very little force behind it.

Then, something strange happened. There was a snapping sound, like the crack of a whip, and Aardo's sword jerked away as soon as it came into contact with Karin's blade. Both Karin and Aardo stared dumbstruck at their zanpakuto, before resuming their attacks simultaneously moments later. Again, there was a loud cracking sound the moment their blades met, and Aardo's zanpakuto was forced back as if pushed by an invisible force.

"You bitch, what the hell are you doing?!" he yelled.

"I don't know…" Karin answered, utterly baffled herself. Was this her zanpakuto's power? What was going on? Aardo attacked again, and again Karin repelled the attack. This time however, she noticed a spark coming from her zanpakuto when it touched Aardo's. In that moment, she was hit with a sudden realization. Her zanpakuto had the power of magnetism! She recalled an old lesson in school about how magnetic fields could repel other metallic or magnetic objects. The exact details of how it worked were lost on her at the moment, but one thing was clear: she now had an effective means to counter Aardo's strikes.

She thrust her sword forward. Aardo swung his blade to block, but with just a tiny flick of her shikai, she had repelled his sword backwards. Aardo made an overhead chop at her, but Karin stopped it in its tracks with just a tiny movement. Aardo cut at her side, but she swung back, knocking his sword away and giving her the chance to thrust her sword forward, giving the arrancar a shallow stab in the stomach. She felt like laughing. She could actually win this. Aardo meanwhile was overcome with fury.

"You think this is funny brat? I think I've played around with you enough! Grasp, Tamandua!" Aardo was surrounded in a whirlwind of reiatsu with a bright flash, causing Karin to look away for a moment and nearly knocking her off balance. When she looked back, he had changed. He was now covered in a bony casing, and his arms now ended in sharp claws. There was a long tail behind him and his face now covered in a mask that extended downwards like a proboscis.

"What… the hell…?" Karin gasped in astonishment. Though his mouth was not showing, she could clearly hear him laughing.

"This is what happens when an arrancar releases their zanpakuto!" he said, "Now prepare to die!"

Not wanting to give him the chance to do anything else, Karin rushed forward, her zanpakuto ready to strike. Aardo reached out a clawed hand and grabbed onto her blade. She tried to pull it away, but he held on tightly. Desperately, she tried channeling more reiatsu through her blade, but it did no good. Aardo laughed at her attempts.

"As you can see, my claws are not made of metal. That little toy will have no effect on me!" he said. With that, he swung out his long tail and grabbed onto her foot, wrapping around it and yanking, dropping her to the ground. He used his other set of claws to slash her across the back before using his powerful tail to throw Karin nearly five meters away. She was only barely able to hold onto her zanpakuto, and as she shakily stood up, Aardo was back in front of her.

She attempted to stab him in the chest, but her sword was unable to pierce the bony armor covering him. Aardo scoffed and brought his claw down, slashing her left shoulder to the bone. Karin cried out in pain and attempted to swing her sword out again, but a kick from Aardo sent her reeling backwards.

Breathing heavily and clutching her bloody shoulder, Karin feebly attempted to get back into a fighting stance.

"You don't know when to give up," Aardo chuckled, "Fine then. Take this!"

Karin suddenly felt a sharp pain in her gut. She looked down and saw that a long object was protruding from her stomach. Her eyes followed it all the way back to Aardo, where it had emerged from his proboscis like some sort of strange tongue. Karin groaned in pain as it was yanked out, the barbed tip taking bits of flesh with it as the protrusion returned to Aardo's mouth. She collapsed to her knees, feeling faint as she bled from her wounds. The sickening sound of Aardo's laughter was all that she could hear.

"You see? You were as good as dead the moment you saw me! To think that you actually thought you could beat me… ha! Nobody defeats Aardo Verec!" As he boasted however, he failed to notice a pale violet glow surrounding Karin. Suddenly, she leapt into the air, her zanpakuto slashing across his armored shoulder. There was a hissing, squeaking sound, and a wound appeared as Karin landed behind him.

Karin gripped her sword tightly and breathed heavily as intense spirit energy emerged from her body. She didn't know what to think of it. Her wounds seemed to hurt less, she felt a renewed sense of energy, and her mind was now singularly focused on defeating her enemy. She looked at her sword, which was likewise glowing. She felt strange vibrations coming down the hilt, and touched the side of the blade only to quickly withdraw it, finding it to be quite hot.

Aardo let out a yell and lunged at her with his claws. The next thing he knew, he was missing a hand, and Karin stood behind him. Suddenly feeling as if she were one with her zanpakuto, Karin shouted as she attacked, slashing across his armor, cutting through it with a shrill squeaking noise. He tried to attack with his tail, but Karin leapt into the air, dodging it and slashing him across the leg, causing him to fall to his knee. With a final strike, Karin slashed down through Aardo's shoulder and down his chest, causing the arrancar to let out a roar of pain before collapsing to the ground.

Karin breathed heavily, the glow around her disappearing. She had no idea what had just happened. One minute she was on her knees, the next she was able to fight like she never had before. She looked down at her defeated enemy, her sword still at the ready.

"Tell me where Vice-Captain Hinamori is," she finally said.

"Are you not going to kill me?" Aardo asked in a high voice.

"Not if you tell me where Vice-Captain Hinamori is," Karin answered.

"Oh what a sweet, kind girl!" Aardo said in a groveling voice, "What a kind, merciful girl! Yes, I'll tell you where the other is! She should be in the same direction I came from, which should be, ah, that way! Yes, it was that way!"

"Thank you for your cooperation," Karin said calmly, turning to walk away. She realized her mistake immediately, but was too slow to react as Aardo shot out his sharpened tongue at her again.

When it was only a few inches from her face however, a hand reached out and caught it. Karin stared in shock, and looked up to see Momo standing above her, gripping the tongue-like appendage.

"Vice-Captain Hinamori!" Karin said in relief.

"Bakudo 9, Horin!" she said. A bright golden-orange tendril shot out from her hand and wrapped around Aardo. It seemed to constrict him, and within moments he had reverted to his normal form, falling to his side moments later.

"How disgraceful. Attacking an opponent who has shown you mercy," Momo noted.

"V-Vice Captain Hinamori…" Karin said nervously. Momo turned and, to Karin's surprise, smiled.

"You did wonderfully Karin; better than I ever could have hoped for," she said, "This may be strange to hear, but… I'm proud of you."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to nexuswarrior, chiharuSAICHI, war90, Revolation, Chillis, Taeniaea, DigiPal, Nightraze, The Catch, The Great Pineapple MEKI, and Snowy Peach Tsubasa for reviewing! Please review!


	26. Chapter 26

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 26_

"I see. So you've discovered your shikai ability," Momo said as she healed Karin. Karin's wounds healed quickly as the green glow from Momo's healing spell covered her body. She sat upright, excited about her recent victory.

"I don't know how I did it. I just focused my reiatsu in the blade, and suddenly… I don't even know how to describe it! But that's not the most amazing part! After I was wounded, I suddenly gained a lot of reiatsu and was even more powerful than before!"

"When a Shinigami's life is in danger, they sometimes gain an immense boost in strength," Momo explained, "What you experienced was your body pushing you to the peak of your powers as a self-defense mechanism."

"Wow… I never imagined that I was that powerful…" Karin said.

"You're more powerful than you think. You've only been training in the Shinigami arts for a few months. When I was at that stage, I'm not sure I could have done what you just did," Momo said.

"I'm still amazed at what my zanpakuto did," Karin said, "I didn't think that it would be anything like that. Even now, I don't know exactly what to think of it."

"From your description, it's power is probably control of magnetic fields, though until I've seen it with my own eyes, I'm not sure about the details," Momo said.

"I see…" Karin said thoughtfully.

"Now that you've activated your zanpakuto's power, you will reach heights you may have once thought impossible. As you communicate with your zanpakuto and hone your techniques, you will become much stronger," Momo said, "Today you did much better than I could possibly have hoped. Words cannot express how amazed and proud I am."

"Thank you, Vice-Captain Hinamori," Karin said with a smile.

"You don't need to address me like that anymore. I think you've earned the right to address me by name, both in public and private," Momo said.

"Oh, okay. Thank you, Momo," Karin said, "By the way, what will we do now? Toushiro is still missing…"

"We'll have to go back to Seireitei," Momo sighed, "I was hoping to find Toushiro and bring him back before anyone was aware of it, but by now this incident has surely come to the attention of the other Captains. We'll just have to turn ourselves in and tell them what happened. They'll send out others to find Toushiro. I wish things had turned out differently, but right now we have no other choice. Besides, we have to take this guy back for interrogation." Momo gestured at Aardo Verec, who was tied up in Momo's kido.

"I'm not talking!" he growled.

"No, not voluntarily. We'll let the Onmitsukido worry about that though. Come Karin, we should get back now."

No sooner had she said this however, something very strange happened. Appearing out of nowhere were a number of strange creatures. They were short, grey skinned beings with trollish faces and clawed hands. They were walking extremely slowly and awkwardly, almost as if they were drunk. Aardo grinned.

"Ha-ha! I'm saved!" he laughed. Momo began to raise her sword for a fight, but stopped when she sensed something odd.

"Karin, get down!" she yelled, pushing Karin to the ground. Mere moments after she said this, massive explosions tore through the bodies of the troll-like creatures.

When the smoke and flames cleared, Karin found herself in a bubble-like kido barrier created by Momo. The ground outside was charred, and mangled bits of troll littered the ground. Aardo, who was unprotected by the barrier, dissolved into dust. There was a loud, cackling laugh.

"Heeeeeeere's Usagi!"

Momo and Karin looked up to see a man standing on a strange black device that hovered in the air. He wore dark sunglasses and a black longcoat, and his blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail. Momo glared up at him.

"Karin, stay here," she said. The barrier parted as Momo walked through it. Karin watched as she walked out, sword drawn. "Who are you? Identify yourself."

"I am Usagi Uzaki!" the man said with another laugh, "Allow me to congratulate you on defeating your enemies! It's a bit of a shame though; those were two of the last arrancars we had!"

"You didn't seem to be too concerned about that when you blew one of them up just now," Momo said, "Not to mention your killing of those other subordinates of yours."

"Oh, don't worry about them," Usagi chuckled, "They're just a bunch of barely sapient creatures doing grunt work. Killing a few of them doesn't matter."

"I don't like people who take such a dismissive tone when discussing their own subordinates," Momo said, her gaze hardening.

"Oh, well I guess we just do things a little differently," Usagi said.

"Who precisely is 'we'?" Momo asked. Usagi snorted in laughter and waved his finger mockingly at her.

"No, no, no, I can't tell you!" he snickered.

"Then I will have to take you prisoner by force," Momo said. She leapt into the air, drawing her sword as she attacked Usagi. The hovering glider he stood on twisted around, and Usagi produced a black rod with a pointed tip to block Momo's goals.

"Not bad. To be expected from Vice-Captain Hinamori, of course," Usagi said.

"How do you know my name?" Momo asked with a glare. Usagi chuckled and tapped the side of his dark glasses with his free hand.

"I see all," he said with a high pitched giggle.

Momo leapt back, standing in mid-air as she faced off against Usagi. She glanced down at the strange glider that Usagi stood upon. She quickly began thinking up a strategy. Judging from appearance, it seemed that Usagi was unable to solidify spirit particles under his feet as she was currently doing, and thus required the glider to remain in mid-air. If she could knock him off or destroy the glider, this fight would become much simpler. She pointed her finger at the glider, and a bolt of lightning burst forth. At the exact moment it would have hit however, Usagi disappeared. He didn't use shunpo or some similar technique, he simply disappeared. Momo stared blankly in shock.

"Surprised?"

Momo turned to see Usagi right behind her. She swiftly brought her sword around to cut at his head, but Usagi leaned back, dodging the blow and simultaneously thrusting his own weapon forwards, forcing Momo to block.

"Don't act so shocked, I told you that I see all," Usagi snickered, "I know of your skills with kido. That technique just now was Byakurai, was it not? Amazing that you were able to use it with neither the incantation nor the spell itself spoken aloud. That would be considered impossible by normal standards. You truly are gifted. Unfortunately, not gifted enough."

A cloud of thick red smoke was released from Usagi's glider. When it reached Momo's face, she coughed and closed her eyes, the smoke stinging and burning her eyes, nose, and throat. Usagi laughed, and disappeared behind the smoke cloud as Momo squinted her burning eyes.

"There's nothing you can do. I know everything about you," Usagi cackled, his voice seeming to come from all around, "Momo Hinamori, Vice-Captain of the Fifth Division. Spiritual pattern Delta. Reiatsu level 8 with 95% control. Spiritual manipulation at degree 9.27 with capacity of up to 325 spiritual units. Zanpakuto harmonization at seventh degree; bankai unachieved. Shikai control at 98%."

"What are you talking about?" Momo said, becoming rather unnerved as the cloud of smoke began to clear.

"I'm saying that I know exactly how strong you are and that I know exactly how to counter you," Usagi said, "The conclusion to this battle has already been decided."

"We'll see. Snap, Tobiume!" Momo said. Her zanpakuto straightened and produced several prongs. It glowed with energy as Momo launched a fireball from the tip at Usagi. He flew to the right with his glider, only to have the fireball curve towards him, and it was only by suddenly dropping in altitude that he avoided the attack.

"Don't think that you can pull any surprises on me. I already know that you can guide your energy blasts," Usagi said, "I know all of your tricks, and I can say with confidence that you are no threat to me. You're of no value whatsoever. But you don't need me telling you that. Your old Captain demonstrated that to a greater degree than I ever will."

Momo froze, her eyes wide. Memories of Aizen's betrayal and the pain he caused her filled her head. Usagi's grin widened.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I hit a raw nerve? Sorry about that, I just found it so funny that you dedicated your entire life to that man and he tossed you aside like a used rag," he giggled, "Tell me, do you still have any positive memories of the forty or fifty years you spent serving him and worshipping him? Or is that entire portion of your life just a dark, meaningless void to you now? One of the most important parts of your life was based around a lie. How do you live with that? Please share."

"Shut up!" Momo yelled, rushing at Usagi. He flew away, dodging the blow from Momo's sword.

"You built yourself up with him as the foundation, and when he left you just came crumbling down. I'm actually quite jealous of ol' Aizen for having such a mindlessly loyal servant. I know that if it had been me in his position, I'd have had you on your knees in more ways than one. Tell me, how far would you have gone for him? I bet you would have given him quite a bit of fun if he asked you to. After all, you attacked your precious little 'Shiro-chan' for him, so it wouldn't surprise me if you had-"

"I said shut up!" Momo screamed, slashing at him viciously. This only made Usagi laugh more as he blocked the strike with the black rod.

"Who would have guessed that such a sweet little girl had such a temper," he said, "Was it the comment about how loyal you were to him or the comment about Toushiro Hitsugaya that set you off just now?"

"Don't even speak his name!" Momo said, launching another fireball that Usagi dodged.

"Ah, I guess it was the latter," Usagi giggled, "He always had a soft spot for you. It must have been like a punch to the gut when you betrayed him. It was certainly noble of him to forgive you, but I don't know how you can live yourself after betraying him like that."

"I didn't betray- I mean, I didn't mean… I didn't know what I was doing at the time! I wasn't thinking clearly! If I had been in my right mind, I never would have-"

"You can make excuses all day long, but the facts remain," Usagi said.

"I… You're right. I was wrong and made a horrible mistake, but Toushiro forgave me and-"

"I don't care about the details of the relationship of a couple of children, so don't bore me with them," Usagi said, "What I want to know is-"

"I'm getting tired of talking with you," Momo said, "Bakudo 9, Horin! Hado 31, Shakkaho!" Upon saying the first spell, a rope of yellow-orange energy came from Momo's hand and flew at Usagi. When the second spell was uttered, a blast of red energy was fired at Usagi. As he dodged the Shakkaho, the rope of energy from the other spell wrapped around his ankle. Before he had a chance to free himself, Momo tapped the rope of energy with her zanpakuto. The rope of energy lit up and exploded, creating a cloud of smoke.

For a moment, Momo thought she was victorious, but then a pair of metal balls attached to wires flew out from the smoke and wrapped around Momo's wrist. Usagi emerged from the smoke, snorting with laughter. The wires attached to the metal balls came from Usagi's right sleeve. Momo immediately raised her hands up for another attack, paying no attention to the objects wrapped around her wrist.

"Hado 58, Tenran!" she said. Instead of the wide, tornado-like blast of wind typical of the spell however, only a gentle gust of wind was produced. Usagi snorted with laughter.

"My spirit bolas disrupt the reiatsu of anyone they come in contact with. Not only do I now have you on a leash, the kido spells that you take so much pride in will be nearly useless!"

Momo panicked, and immediately began using kido spells, only to find that what Usagi said was true. Byakurai, Shakkaho, Sokatsui, Haien… they were all so weak that they were practically harmless. Laughing, Usagi reached into one of the pockets of his coat, pulling out a banana shaped object and tossing it at Momo.

"Bakudo 39, Enkosen!" she instinctively said. A circular shield of energy formed in front of her. However, due to the effect of Usagi's bolas, it only partially blocked the ensuing explosion. As Momo tried to steady herself, she realized that the wire cords attached to the bolas were tugging at her, drawing her closer to Usagi. She quickly tried to untie the bolas from around her wrists, but they seemed to be locked in place, and she ended up having to give up as Usagi got closer and closer.

"Your Kido is indeed impressive, but when you're deprived of it, you are of no consequence," Usagi said, thrusting his black rod forward, forcing Momo to parry it, "You really think that you have what it takes to become a Captain? Don't make me laugh. You're so inconsequential that it's a wonder they still keep you around! Remember when you tried to attack Toushiro Hitsu- Whoops! Sorry!" Usagi giggled as Momo slashed at him in retaliation for bringing up the sensitive subject again. "Remember when you attacked him?" Usagi repeated, "He intentionally tried his best to not hurt you, and he still knocked you out cold! Even going out of his way to give a weak blow, you were so fragile that he knocked you out effortlessly! To think that you still harbor delusions that you and him might someday become equals…"

"I'll readily admit that Toushiro is stronger than me," Momo said, "I'll also admit that I've been jealous at times, but… he's also my friend, and I'm proud of him for his accomplishments. If you intend to make me feel bitter towards him, then you're wasting your time."

"Oh, not bitter towards him. You should be feeling bitter towards yourself for being so weak!" Usagi said, "Really, of what consequence are you? You could work yourself to death trying to learn a new skill, and he could do it better in a fraction of the time! You could fight a long, grueling battle and emerge victorious, all while knowing that he could beat your opponent effortlessly. Captains of the Gotei 13 have their place as the primary fighting force of Soul Society and the lower level Shinigami have their place of grunt work and basic duties. People like you, however, who are neither strong enough to be a Captain nor know enough to relegate themselves to simple duties are just worthless. Any enemy you can fight a Captain can fight better. The only use you have is fighting the battles not worth a Captain's time."

"I don't need someone like you lecturing about the duties of Captains, the duties of Vice-Captains, and the duties of other Shinigami. All Shinigami have a place and a duty to perform. You vastly oversimplify things," Momo said.

"Whatever you say, girl; you know it's true though. You're not strong enough to be of any real use. If you were, maybe that Hitsugaya kid wouldn't have to keep getting hurt while trying to protect you."

"Shut up!" Momo yelled at him, rushing at him to attack. Due to the recklessness of the attack, Usagi's agility, and the bolas around her wrist, however, Usagi was able to dodge the attack while simultaneously delivering a strike that left a small cut across Momo's right shoulder.

"You lose," Usagi said with a wide smile. Almost immediately, Momo's right side began going numb. Her muscles became stiff and she found herself unable to move that side of her body. She quickly grabbed her zanpakuto, taking it in her left hand and striking at Usagi, who blocked it with his black rod.

"Not yet," she said, even as the numb area of her body grew larger and larger.

"Is that so?" Usagi grinned. He extended his left hand from his sleeve. Momo's eyes widened as she saw that he held a sleek, silver gun in his hand. She tried to break her sword away to attack him, but Usagi kept her blade locked with his weapon as he aimed the gun at her chest, grinning the entire time. "Goodbye."

---

Karin watched in shock as a bright blue blast of energy hit Momo. Usagi retracted the bolas back into his sleeve, and Momo fell from the sky, her chest smoldering.

"Momo!" Karin yelled, watching in horror as Momo's limp body fell to the ground. Her shout attracted Usagi's attention, who flew down on his glider so that he was hovering just off the ground in front of the sphere of energy Momo had made to protect Karin.

"Hmmmm…" he said to himself. He raised his pistol, and fired a bright blue energy blast at it. Karin flinched, but the shield held, absorbing the blast and rippling like water. Usagi fired several more shots at the shield, each one making a similar rippling pattern upon contact. Grumbling to himself, Usagi flicked a switch at the back of the pistol, and a silver casing was ejected. He fumbled with the gun for another moment before pressing a small button on the side and aiming again.

This time, the energy blasts were not in large bursts, but in small, needle-like bolts of energy that fired extremely fast, as if from a machine gun. They hit and rippled against the surface of the shield. Though they didn't seem to be doing much damage, after firing continuously for several minutes, the shield began to shudder, and soon burst like a bubble.

The moment that the barrier broke, Karin ran. She knew that this was an opponent she could not beat, and she wanted to get as far away as possible from him. He did not let her however. Usagi fired a burst of the small bolts of energy at her again, hitting Karin in the legs and causing her to fall to the ground. Panting, she looked up fearfully as Usagi floated lazily towards her on his glider.

"Hmm… Karin Kurosaki… You're new to the whole 'shinigami business' aren't you? You're far too weak and unrefined to have been a Shinigami for very long. Spiritual pattern Beta, and, let's see here…" Usagi began mumbling a bunch of nonsense words to himself before finally sighing, "Yes, you do have a bit of potential, but I'm afraid that you'll never be respected by your brother at the rate you're going. No wonder he always treats you like a baby." Karin's eyes widened in shock, but quickly hardened. She was disturbed that he knew about Ichigo, but she was also determined not to let him keep saying that sort of thing. With renewed strength, she began to stand up, attempting to draw her sword. Before she could do so however, Usagi swooped forward and jabbed her in the shoulder and her stomach with his sharpened black rod. Almost immediately, Karin felt numb, and fell back to the ground.

"No, no, no! I can't let you do that! If you're going to try something funny like that, I guess I'll just have to… Hmm, what's this?" Usagi suddenly said to himself, a look of intense interest spreading across his face. He tapped on the side of his head as he stared at Karin, a wide grin coming across his face. "My, my, you _are_ an interesting one after all. Who would have thought…"

"What… what do you want?!" Karin said, trying to sound defiant. Usagi merely laughed softly to himself.

"Hey little girl, how would you like to come with me? You're a very interesting specimen whom I would much like to examine a bit more closely. Besides…" Usagi giggled to himself, "I always like having a pretty young girl around." Usagi let out a shriek of laughter, causing Karin to draw back as much as she could. As Usagi began to approach her however, he suddenly ducked.

His action was just in time. Had he reacted a second later, Momo's sword would have sliced off his head. After the first miss, she slashed at him again, with Usagi blocking with his black pointed stick. Momo glared into Usagi's dark glasses for a moment before suddenly collapsing to the ground, panting heavily. Usagi looked down at her for a moment before smirking and letting out a laugh.

"Amazing! You created armor out of kido to help you resist my attack! I should have known you did something funny, that blast should have blown your entire torso apart. It looks like you do have a few surprises after all. Unfortunately, surprises aren't what I'm after." Usagi positioned his rod so that the pointed end was just above Momo's neck. "Goodbye, Momo Hinamori."

Before he could deliver the finishing strike however, he quickly turned around to block a sudden attack from behind.

"Toushiro Hitsugaya!" he chuckled, staring down at the white haired Captain, "It's good to see you again!"

"I doubt you'll be so happy to have seen me after I'm through with you," Toushiro growled, preparing himself for battle.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to randomguy24, Chillis, DigiPal, MegaTank, Taeniaea, war90, Nightraze, The Great Pineapple MEKI, nexuswarrior, moonlightgabriel, and Hikari Droflum for reviewing last chapter! Please review!


	27. Chapter 27

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 27_

Toushiro and Usagi faced off, Toushiro glaring and Usagi grinning widely.

"As Captain of the Tenth Division, I order you to surrender," Toushiro said, his voice deadly serious, "If you surrender and submit to interrogation, I will not kill you." This only made Usagi laugh.

"You? Kill me? What a hilarious thought! Just look at yourself; you're in no condition to be out of bed, let alone to fight. You've got bruises and broken bones all over the place! I'm quite honestly amazed that you are even able to move," Usagi said, pulling his weapon back and flying backwards on his glider.

"Tell me what it was that attacked me in the human world," Toushiro said, walking forward slowly but steadily, "It had the same warriors that attacked me before, and I know that you know what they are."

"Oooooh, you get straight to the point, don't ya?" Usagi chuckled.

"Tell me who and what it was," Toushiro repeated.

"Why are you so eager to know? Hoping for a rematch? I doubt it would end any differently than last time," Usagi said.

"I'm not interested in playing around," Toushiro said coldly. He lept into the air and slashed at Usagi, who dodged the strike by twisting in place on his glider to deliver a retaliatory jab, which Toushiro blocked.

"Your reflexes are still good, despite your condition," Usagi noted, "What happened to make you heal so quickly…? Oh-ho! I see now! That girl down there healed you!" Usagi pointed down at Momo, causing Toushiro to scowl.

"Leave her out of this. It was the Fourth Division healers who healed me," he said coldly.

"You say that, but I sense her reiatsu throughout your body. It's as if you had absorbed her reiatsu, and it continues to heal you even now. That won't be enough to save you, but it's interesting nonetheless. To see a strong reiatsu and a weak one bonding so well is a strange sight indeed," Usagi chuckled. Toushiro glanced down at the hand that Momo helped heal before glaring at Usagi.

"Momo isn't weak," Toushiro said. He leapt higher into the air, slashing at Usagi's midsection.

"Oh? You really think that? I thought you were called a genius," Usagi said, flying backwards to dodge, "They said you were a rare prodigy and a shinigami genius. How is it that such a person can view someone like her as anything other than weak? I know the mind of a genius, seeing as I am one, and I know that to a genius, all others are insufferably low and frustratingly stupid by comparison. It is impossible to not look down on them. Surely the boy genius who graduated the Shinigami Academy in a single year and was among the youngest shinigami to ever achieve bankai or become Captain in the Gotei 13 cannot help but look down on someone so insignificant."

"You're wrong," Toushiro said, "I have never looked down upon Momo, not even once."

"Then perhaps your reputation precedes you," Usagi said coolly. He pointed his sleek silver gun at Toushiro and fired a blast of blue energy bursts. Toushiro dodged them all masterfully, making his way towards Usagi until he was close enough to cut at him with his zanpakuto. Usagi blocked the strike, and grinned upon seeing Toushiro's angry expression.

"One wonders how you did it," he said, "You have amazing power – Omega-pattern reiatsu that is large and heavy – and you achieved it at a young age. Not only did you gain incredible power at a young age, you were able to control it, and even gained enough control to take control of the most powerful ice-type zanpakuto in Soul Society. You also are a skilled swordsman, and your body is much stronger than the skinny little boy you look like. Your keen mind is also quite unique. It makes one wonder how you attained such power."

"Hell if I know," Toushiro said, staying in a defensive position. Usagi smiled at this.

"Yes, that's what I thought. You are not as unique as others say you are. They think to themselves 'Look how strong he is at such a young age! Imagine how great he'll be when he grows up!' Those people are woefully mistaken. You are not some super-shinigami. You're just an average Captain who happened to gain your powers a little bit earlier than usual. You're near your limit right now. The reason you do not have complete control over your zanpakuto's power is not that your power is just immature, it's that your power is weaker than that of your zanpakuto, and you'll never gain mastery over it."

"If I were weaker than my zanpakuto, I wouldn't have been able to force it into submission and gain bankai," Toushiro said coldly. Usagi chuckled.

"Ah yes, bankai. Why don't you show me that right now?" he said with a wide grin, "Come on, show me your bankai. Surely you could defeat me in an instant if you used it, don't you agree?"

Toushiro remained still, glaring up at Usagi without moving from his defensive stance.

"That's what I thought," Usagi said, "You're too weak to use bankai right now. That girl's reiatsu may have given you enough strength to leave bed, but it wasn't enough to heal you completely. Your body can't handle bankai right now; it would put too much stress on you. That's the case even when you're not injured, isn't it? Your young body isn't capable of handling the massive expansion of power that bankai provides. Thus, bankai exhausts and strains you so much that you can't maintain it for more than a short time. You truly are just a kid who happens to have been granted a few nifty powers and a Captain's haori. You're in way over your head whenever you attempt to play the part of Captain. I bet you haven't even hit puberty yet." Usagi broke off in giggles as Toushiro stared coldly at him.

"I'm not interested in petty taunts," Toushiro said, "If you will not surrender, I will take you back to Seireitei by force."

"Is that so? In that case, I guess I'll just have to kill you," Usagi pointed his gun at Toushiro, who jumped out of its path before it was fired. This did no good however, as instead of a blast of energy, a massive cone of flames erupted from the barrel of the gun. Toushiro attempted to dodge, but the attack was over such a wide area that he was unable to prevent his robes from being singed. When the attack was over, he stood with his sword held in front of him, now ready to leap away much more quickly in case of further attack.

"That's no ordinary gun," he muttered to himself. Usagi laughed at this.

"Really now? What was your first hint? The fact that it can do this?!" Usagi fired again, this time in a rapid-fire mode that shot pellets of silver-blue energy. Toushiro dodged and leapt out of the way despite the nature of the attack, and managed to leap into the air and land just behind Usagi, putting his sword to the man's neck.

"Just what are you exactly?" he growled. Even from behind, he could tell that Usagi was grinning, and he was about to threaten him further when he disappeared. Toushiro stared in shock at the empty spot where Usagi had been moments before. Before he could contemplate further however, he felt something pressed up against the back of his neck.

"Bye-bye, little boy!" Usagi shrieked, pulling the trigger of his gun before Toushiro could react.

Nothing happened. Toushiro took the opportunity to jump away. Usagi tried to fire the gun again, but this time there was a strange noise and a bit of smoke emerged from the barrel. Usagi grumbled loudly and ejected a small silver capsule from the weapon.

"Damn it, not again," he said irritably, stuffing the object back into his robes. Toushiro took the opportunity to attack, bringing his sword down in an overhead slash, which Usagi barely managed to block with his black rod. He was still grinning, but it came off as rather forced now.

"I'll ask you again: What the hell are you?" Toushiro said.

"Oh, I'm just a guy with a few hobbies," Usagi snickered, "Analyzing, inventing, playing around with people like you, you name it. I suppose you could call me an inquirer/gadgeteer/inventor/enforcer/genius. I know what you're thinking: 'this guy is so amazing that attempting to categorize him is a futile effort!'" Usagi burst into a snorting fit of laughter at his joke, with Toushiro looking on unamused.

"I see, so you're just a freak. Probably working for someone else because you find the work to be fun," he said, "You build your little gadgets for whomever it is you work for and they let you test them on their enemies."

"Ah, so your reputation as a genius is not entirely undeserved," Usagi laughed, "Unfortunately, knowing that won't help you to defeat me. I know everything about you, and thus know your greatest weakness: your worthless affection and sentiment for little bugs!" Usagi flew a short distance on his glider and pulled out a small silver orb, which he held out as if to let go. Toushiro was puzzled for a moment before realizing to his horror that Usagi was directly above Momo and Karin.

"No!" he yelled. He rushed at Usagi, but it was too late. Usagi dropped the silver orb, which fell towards the immobilized Momo and Karin below. Toushiro dove after it, desperately trying to reach it before it could reach them.

Usagi watched with a satisfied smirk as Toushiro dove towards the orb. A short distance from the ground, the orb erupted in a massive explosion. Usagi flew a few feet back, as even this high into the air the shockwave and heat were very intense. He looked down in satisfaction, confident that his opponents had been annihilated. When the smoke cleared however, he was surprised to find that they had indeed survived the blast.

Toushiro stood above Momo and Karin in bankai, his ice wings stretched over the two girls to form a protective shield. His bankai quickly crumbled, the strain of maintaining it too great for him in his weakened state. He was able to use it for a moment to protect his immobilized friends, but it had taken up nearly all of his remaining energy.

"That was quite impressive," Usagi said, "But ultimately it is futile. You are now too weak to fight me, and I am going to kill those two after I'm done with you. You've failed again to protect your little friend." Toushiro's eyes widened with rage as he glared at Usagi.

"Be quiet," he said, his voice soft but full of anger.

"Oh, did I say something insensitive? Do you not like to think of how you were unable to protect your friend from being completely broken and nearly killed? It happened practically right under your nose, so I imagine that you would feel pretty guilty about it. What was it like, seeing her on the ground in a pool of blood? Did it make you feel helpless? Did you feel despair at the realization that she had been completely and utterly broken and you could do nothing to stop it?"

"Shut up!" Toushiro roared, his reiatsu suddenly flaring up, "Set upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!" A massive ice dragon was summoned as he slashed his sword forward. Usagi, taken by surprise, raised his black weapon, but was caught in the torrent of ice and water, freezing his arm and the rod with it. He began to reach into his robes, but before he could, Toushiro was upon him, and with a swift slash cut his glider in two.

Usagi fell to the ground, landing roughly. He attempted to reach into his robes for another weapon but Toushiro stepped on his hand and pointed his sword at his throat.

"You're under arrest," he said coolly, "You will answer all of my questions. If you don't, you will be interrogated by the special forces." Usagi merely smiled at this, despite his current situation.

"And what questions do you have?" he said in an oily voice.

"I want to know who or what it was that attacked me. I also want to know who those robed warriors are, why the Quincy is being targeted, and who is behind all of this," Toushiro said. Usagi looked like he was about to laugh, but stopped when Toushiro shot him a glare. After a moment he answered slowly.

"The being that attacked you has no name. You needn't know who or what he is. All you need to know is that now that you've encountered him, he will hunt you. Consider him the embodiment of pure and unbridled aggression. Once he has set eyes on his prey, he will hunt them to the end of the Earth. I wouldn't be too eager to face him were I in your situation…"

"How did such a being come to be working with a group such as yours? Just who is your master to be able to control such a beast?" Toushiro asked, "And for the record I still want to know about the importance of the Quincy and why that female shinigami attacked him." Usagi gave a huge fake yawn.

"You're boring me, little captain," he said lazily, "I don't feel much like answering any more questions. If only I had some way to disappear from this place – oh wait, I do!" Before Toushiro could do anything, Usagi disappeared with one last burst of laughter.

---

Ichigo swung his sword one last time, knocking Senna's out of her hand and causing her to fall to the ground. She reached for the sword, but Ichigo put his foot down on her hand as she did so, causing her to cry out in pain. Ichigo looked down at her, almost in pity. She had lost this battle. Even without bankai, he was more than a match for her. She was in rough shape, while he was uninjured.

"Why did you attack me?" Ichigo asked.

"Because I was ordered to," Senna replied, "The same reason that I attacked the Quincy."

"So that was you," Ichigo said, his expression hardening. Even as he felt anger towards his enemy however, there was something else, a strange sense of familiarity and empathy for this girl. He didn't know what to think, so he opted to act as he should. He pointed his zanpakuto at her chest. "Tell me everything you know."

"I can't do that, Ichigo," Senna said, a small smile still on her face despite her situation.

"You've used my name several times. How do you know it when you have never seen me before?" he asked.

"You don't remember a thing, do you?" Senna said with a small laugh. Ichigo felt uneasy all of a sudden. He didn't remember ever meeting this girl, yet there was definitely… _something_ about her that seemed familiar.

"I'm putting you under arrest. You will be interrogated by Seireitei. If you cooperate, I will guarantee good treatment for you," Ichigo said.

"How very Captain-like of you, Ichigo," Senna laughed, "You've been practicing."

Ichigo eyed the girl suspiciously. She knew who he was, and she had attacked him and apparently Uryu, yet he did not feel any hostility from her. She did not seem to be the type who would be working for the enemies of Soul Society, yet if her actions were any indication, she certainly was. He would have to take her to be interrogated, it was the only way to get to the bottom of this.

As he thought about this, he suddenly felt a prickling feeling on the back of his neck. He instinctively turned and realized that there was a man standing behind him. He was dark skinned with a thick moustache and covered in dull blue and white robes. He quickly turned his sword to the man, who gave a short bow.

"Good day, Ichigo Kurosaki," he said politely, "I am Mansamusa. I apologize for the inconvenience, and will be taking Senna now." Ichigo held on to his sword, not letting his guard down.

"This girl attacked me, and I will be taking her into Shinigami custody," he said.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that. It seems that one of my subordinates mobilized our forces without permission. I do not wish to fight you, only to take Senna back," Mansamusa said.

"I assume you're with the same organization that she is in, then?" Ichigo said, "If that is the case, you are an enemy of Soul Society, and I must defeat you as well."

"That is unfortunate," Mansamusa said. He pulled a long object wrapped in white cloth from behind his back.

"Strange things have been happening for a while," Ichigo said, "We Shinigami aren't exactly stupid. If I let someone who is clearly involved in a conspiracy against Soul Society go, I wouldn't be upholding my obligation as a Captain-to-be."

"Do you really want to be a Captain?" Mansamusa asked calmly, "I have heard of you before. You are from the living world, are you not? Shouldn't you care more about living out your life as a human than prematurely becoming a Captain? What of your friends and family? Are you abandoning them for the glory of Captaincy?"

"I'm not interested in discussion with you. Either surrender, or prepare to fight me," Ichigo said. Mansamusa sighed. There was a whooshing sound, and the next moment Mansamusa was behind him, holding Senna in his arm.

"I-I'm sorry for losing sir," she said shakily.

"It's alright, Senna," Mansamusa said. He turned back to Ichigo, "I'll say it again. I don't want to fight you. How about this: if you allow us to leave unharassed, I will spare the next Shinigami that I would ordinarily kill. You will be saving a life if you agree to let us leave."

"You won't have the chance to kill any Shinigami ever if I defeat you now," growled Ichigo.

"I see," Mansamusa said calmly. Suddenly there was a whoosh, and another figure came onto the field.

"Damn it Ichigo, I told you to wait up! I'm not as good with Shunpo as you, you have to slow down!" Rukia yelled, not noticing Mansamusa, who glanced briefly at Ichigo before looking back at Rukia.

"No, don't!" Ichigo yelled, but it was too late. In an instant, Mansamusa was behind Rukia. The cloth around the long object was gone, revealing it to be a long sharpened spike made out of strange green crystal. He held it against Rukia's throat as if to decapitate her.

"How about it, Kurosaki?" Mansamusa said, "My offer is still in effect. Allow us to leave, and I will spare the next Shinigami that I would normally kill." Rukia looked between Ichigo and Mansamusa in panic, not knowing what was going on.

"Ichigo, what the hell is-"

"Be quiet Rukia!" Ichigo yelled, fear for his friend making him very tense. He glared at Mansamusa, who merely looked back passively.

"What is your answer? Will you allow us to leave?" he asked. Ichigo was silent for several long, painful minutes, before finally nodding. Mansamusa removed his weapon from Rukia's throat and in a flash, disappeared with Senna.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to nexuswarrior, war90, Chillis, Thunder Claw03, Zer0Justice, Revolation, The Great Pineapple MEKI, I-Love-Manga1804, DigiPal, Blackheart, moonlightgabriel, and Psyco101 for reviewing! Please review!


	28. Chapter 28

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 28_

Momo groaned. She opened her eyes a little, but the bright light forced her to immediately shut them. Her fuzzy mind vaguely noted that she was moving. Her body felt numb, and she couldn't move her legs. She tried opening her eyes again, slowly cracking them open to see a blurry figure above her.

"Toushiro?" she whispered, squinting up at him to make sure her eyes weren't fooling her.

"Yes, Momo," Toushiro said calmly. Momo glanced around, and realized that Toushiro was carrying her in his arms.

"What are you… Where's Karin?" Momo asked. Toushiro jerked his head back, making Momo notice that Karin was on Toushiro's back, holding onto his shoulders and resting her head against him with her eyes closed.

"You were both affected by some kind of tranquilizer so I had to carry you," Toushiro explained.

"Are…are you okay?" Momo asked meekly, not sure what to say.

"Depends on how you define 'okay'. Everything still feels like hell; my bones and muscles hurt, and I can't use shunpo while carrying you. I'm not in any danger though, if that's what you mean," he replied.

"That's… good…" Momo said. She didn't know what to say to him. She had so many things to say, and even more to ask, but she didn't know what to say first or how to say it.

"Why did you come all the way out here?" Toushiro asked. Momo was taken aback by the question.

"Why did I come out here? Why did _you_ come out here?!" she said, "We came because we wanted to take you back to Seireitei! What were you thinking when you went out like that?"

"In all honesty, I wasn't," Toushiro replied, "The reiatsu you put into me when you healed my hand revitalized me, and gave me the strength to move. I wasn't thinking clearly though. All I could think about was finding out the truth about what was going on. You shouldn't have followed me; now we'll both get in trouble."

"I couldn't just let you go off like that!" Momo protested.

"What could you have done?" Toushiro asked sternly, "You had virtually no chance of finding me, and now on top of breaking Shinigami law, you've been injured. You should never have come out here."

"Yeah, I guess that's right," Momo said quietly, "I guess I'm just too weak to make a difference, so I should just stay hidden away and let you protect me from everything."

"Momo, I didn't mean it like that," Toushiro sighed, "I just don't want to see you getting hurt like this. You're not weak, you just…"

"I'm just nothing compared to you, right?" Momo said, "What difference does anything I do make when you could do it faster and better? I'm effectively useless."

"Don't say that Momo, it isn't true…"

"But it is true! We're not equal. I'm a jack-knife and you're a katana. Sure, I can cut things, but anything I could cut you could cut better."

"That's not an accurate analogy and you know it," Toushiro said, "Maybe a better way to say it is to compare you to a swiss army knife and me to a bowie knife. Sure, my blade is bigger, but yours is capable of much finer work, and you're able to do a bunch of stuff I can't." Momo couldn't help but smile sadly at the comparison.

"I'm sorry Toushiro," she said.

"For what? The comparison wasn't that bad, was it?"

"I'm sorry for being jealous," Momo said, "I…I feel horrible for it. When you first entered the Shinigami Academy, I didn't think you'd be such a genius. I should have known. We'd been friends for years. But I didn't know. I truly was proud of you, but as you began mastering the same things that it took me a long time to achieve, I couldn't help but feel jealous. Everyone called you a once-in-a-generation prodigy, and I was happy for you, but at the same time I was sad that I wasn't able to remain equal to you. You weren't just more powerful, you became smarter and more mature than me as well. I feel like I've been left behind in your dust, and that you don't need me anymore."

"Don't be ridiculous, of course I need you," Toushiro said.

"But you're so strong, why would you need someone like me? It's not just that; I betrayed you too, remember? Why would you want to constantly protect me, when I'm only a burden to you?"

"Because you're my friend," Toushiro said firmly, "You're my best friend and probably the most important person in the world to me. When we were kids, you were the only person who didn't hate or fear me. You'd protect me and keep me happy, even though I didn't act at all grateful. I was just a scrawny little runt at the time, and whenever I was bullied or got in trouble, you'd be there to protect me and make me feel better. But you got hurt sometimes as well, which is why I swore to myself that I'd protect you, as I know you've done for me. It was for you that I became a Shinigami; if you hadn't been planning to become one, I would have gone back to Granny's place as soon as I mastered control of my reiatsu. But because you went on to become a Shinigami, I chose to as well, and I trained as hard as I could to get stronger so that I could protect you. I doubt I would be as strong as I am today without you."

"You did all of that for me? Even after I believed that you killed-"

"Don't say his name," Toushiro said, his grip on her tightening, "I don't want to hear that man's name ever again."

"I'm so sorry Toushiro," Momo said, tears coming to her eyes, "It's my fault. I let him manipulate me. I believed him over you and even tried to kill you. I…I betrayed our friendship. I don't understand how you could possibly want to be my friend again after that, let alone risk injury for my sake."

"Don't you dare blame yourself Momo, don't even think about it," Toushiro said, his voice rough and angry, "That monster manipulated and hurt you, and I'll never forgive him for it, nor will I forgive myself for failing to protect you from him."

"But why? Even after what I've done to you, you risked your life for me," Momo said.

"You don't know what it's like," Toushiro said, "You don't know how it feels to see the most important person to you completely torn down. You can't possibly imagine how much your cries of pain have haunted me… or the sight of you at Central 46. I still have nightmares about that day; the day I completely and utterly failed you. I never want to see you hurt like that again, which is why I'll do everything in my power to protect you."

Momo stared at him in awe. She didn't know… she didn't realize just how much he cared for her. Of course she knew that he cared a lot for her, but she now understood just how much he cared. Tears fell from her eyes at the realization, and she suddenly buried her face in his haori to hide the shame that was no doubt on her face. He had done everything he could to protect her, but she had pushed him away thinking that he considered her weak. She had even felt jealous of him at times. Now she realized the truth. It didn't matter how weak or strong she was, Toushiro would always be there to protect and care for her. She also realized that despite her past mistakes, she wanted to reciprocate, and protect and care for him in return. She cried into his haori, regretting that she had failed to realize this sooner. She wasn't jealous or bitter, only sad and regretful.

"I'm so sorry Toushiro," she said, "What can I possibly do to make up for everything? What can I do to be your friend again?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Toushiro said, "Nothing." Momo looked up at him.

"Wha-what do you mean?" she sniffled.

"I mean that there's nothing you can do to 'be friends with me again' because we never stopped being friends in the first place!" Toushiro said, "Now stop crying and blaming yourself for everything!"

Momo gave him a teary smile before beginning to cry again, burying her face into his haori again and making him roll his eyes.

"Thank you Toushiro, thank you so much," she said.

"It's okay Momo, I just – Momo! You're getting snot all over my uniform!"

"Sorry," Momo said with an embarrassed smile, taking her face away from his haori and wiping her nose, "I'm just… so happy."

"It's bad enough that I have to carry your heavy butt all the way back to Seireitei, at least don't use me as a tissue…" he grumbled.

"That's mean Toushiro, I'm not that heavy," Momo said, her face turning red.

"Well you have been packing on the pounds," Toushiro said, "You'd better watch it, chubbers, or you'll end up getting too fat for your uniform."

"I'm not fat Toushiro!" Momo yelled, swinging her arms and legs around, "You know perfectly well that I stay in great shape! I'm heavier than I used to be because unlike you, I'm growing taller! Taller, not fatter!"

"What do you mean 'unlike you'?" Toushiro said.

"Well I don't think it's a secret that you're a little shorty!" Momo said, "You probably can't lift me very well because you're so tiny, not because I'm fat! Now stop making fun of me!"

"I'm carrying two people who are heavier than I am, I've earned the right to – Ow!" Toushiro yelled as Karin's foot hit the back of his leg.

"You shouldn't make fun of a woman's weight," she said sternly, her eyes now wide open.

"Have you been awake this whole time?" Toushiro said irritably.

"Yeah, and it's a good thing I did. You were acting like a complete brat. Calling a woman fat is the most impolite thing you can do," Karin lectured him.

"I… I was only jok- wait a minute! Weren't your legs paralyzed?" Toushiro said, remembering the kick she just gave him, "And you too Momo, you were swinging your legs around a few moments ago! You… you two have been able to move your legs and walk on your own this entire time, haven't you?"

Momo and Karin looked away in embarrassment, and Toushiro let out a very loud groan.

---

"Usagi, I'd like an explanation."

"Oh, you wouldn't be interested in anything I'd have to say," Usagi said, grinning up at the old grey-bearded man.

"Watch your words when speaking to Master Aurion," Mansamusa said, "You've already inconvenienced him greatly, losing two arrancar minions and alerting the Shinigami to our existence. Your foolishness has caused us a great deal of trouble for us."

"Relax, I'm still doing my job, right?" Usagi said, "I'm building that little toy you wanted, so you don't have anything to complain about."

"In fact we do," Aurion said sternly, "It has taken far too long. It should be complete by now."

"I told you, there's still a lot of tests to be run, and I need more materials and test subjects to work with," Usagi said.

"I take it that you still want the Quincy boy captured then?" Aurion said.

"It would be nice to have him, but there's someone else that has attracted my interest, someone far more unique than the Quincy, and far more useful to my work," Usagi said with a grin.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to Taeniaea, The Great Pineapple MEKI, war90, nexuswarrior, Thunder Claw03, Chillis, and oOoHKoOo for reviewing! Please review!


	29. Chapter 29

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 28_

"This is an unfortunate turn of events," Captain-Commander Yamamoto said to the assembled Captains, "We must use the information that Captain Hitsugaya has provided to stop this threat with great haste!"

"But we know no more about our enemy now than before," Shuuhei Hisagi said.

"Actually, we do know quite a bit. The names of our attackers, for instance, and the name of their plan," Ukitake said.

"Indeed, 'The Fourth Rising' I believe you say Karin Kurosaki's opponent called it?" Shunsui Kyouraku said.

"Yes, Karin told me that the arrancar said something about a 'Fourth Rising,'" Toushiro said.

"But what does it mean?" Hisagi asked. Yamamoto, Ukitake, Kyouraku, and Unohana exchanged glances.

"It was a long time ago. I doubt most of you would remember it," Unohana explained, "You see, there was a-"

"We will not discuss that matter until it is confirmed!" Yamamoto interrupted her, "I will personally leave Seireitei to confirm that this is really the Fourth Rising; until then, we will not speak of it!"

"But sir," Komamura said, "we must know who our opponents-"

"We will not say anything else on that matter," Yamamoto said sternly, "Besides, we have more pressing business. Namely, the Quincy, Uryu Ishida. Ichigo Kurosaki, he is a friend of yours is he not?"

"He is," Ichigo confirmed.

"It is clearer than ever that he is being targeted, and now we know why. The man who Captain Hitsugaya fought, Usagi, ejected several silver casings from his weapon. Captain Kurotsuchi studied them, and confirmed that they were Quincy Ginto – tubes containing spirit energy in liquid form. Quincy use them to make spells akin to our Kido, though it is likely that our enemy is putting them to different use," Yamamoto said, "It seems that they already have at least one Quincy on their side that is providing them with Ginto to use in their weapons. They probably want Ishida to join them to supplement this."

"That can't be; Uryu is the last of the Quincy! There are no others," Ichigo protested.

"Indeed, he is the only one that we are aware of," Mayuri said, "However, our program of monitoring Quincy has fallen in efficiency for the past few decades. It is certainly possible that there are more Quincy who have escaped our detection."

"Regardless, it is clear that our enemies have a strong desire to capture Uryu Ishida, and it would be in our best interests to prevent that from happening," Yamamoto said, "Ichigo Kurosaki, I will send you to Karakura Town to look after Ishida for the time being. Captain Hitsugaya will accompany you. Given the situation, neither of you will be punished for your foolish decision to leave Seireitei."

"Thank you Captain-Commander," Toushiro said with a bow, "When shall we depart?"

"Before the end of the day," Yamamoto said, "I will also be leaving. There are things I must investigate. Captain Kyouraku, Captain Ukitake, Captain Unohana, I will be leaving Seireitei in your care while I'm gone. The three of you will be making decisions in my absence."

"Yes sir!" the three Captains said.

---

"What did you want to show me, Momo?" Karin asked as Momo led her towards her residence.

"You'll see," Momo said with a smile.

"I wish you'd tell me. We were in the middle of training when you suddenly dragged me here. Are you feeling okay?" Karin asked skeptically.

"I'm fine, I've been out of Fourth Division care for several days now," Momo said, brushing aside the question as she stopped just in front of her home, "I'm just trying to give you a special surprise."

"What is it?" Karin asked.

"This!" someone said from behind Karin, suddenly putting their hands around and covering her eyes, "Guess who!" The voice caused Karin's eyes to brighten beneath the hands.

"Rangiku?! Is that you?" Karin said, pulling the hands away from her eyes.

"That's right!" Rangiku said cheerfully.

"This is great! When did you-" Karin stopped in mid-sentence when she got a full look at Rangiku.

Her face was marked by a huge scar that ran from the left side of her forehead to her right cheek. Karin felt the joy she initially experienced evaporate. She stared at Rangiku's scarred face in shock and horror.

"I was just released," Rangiku explained, "Momo arranged to wait to tell you so that it would be a surprise. Hey, is something wrong? You don't look so good."

"I-I'm fine," Karin said, forcing herself to smile, "I just…"

"Oh, this?" Rangiku said, pointing to her face and laughing, "This is nothing. Just a little reminder for me to be more careful next time. If you're worried about my love life, you'll be happy to know that with a body like this, guys can ignore a few facial imperfections."

"I don't think that's quite what she was thinking of…" Momo said, rolling her eyes. Karin still couldn't help but feel very sad to see Rangiku like this though, something that was obviously noticeable as Rangiku bent down and hugged her a moment later.

"I heard about what you did. You were very brave, and did better than I could have possibly hoped," she said, "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"Thanks Rangiku," Karin said quietly.

"So, you're better now, huh?"

Rangiku let out a startled cry to see Toushiro behind her.

"Captain! Don't sneak up on me like that!" she complained.

"It's not my fault you weren't paying attention," Toushiro said, "I just came to tell you guys that we'll be leaving soon."

"We?" Karin asked.

"Ichigo and me, that is," Toushiro clarified, "We were ordered by the Captain-Commander to go to the world of the living to ensure the safety of the Quincy."

"They're sending you on a mission so soon after recovering? I thought Captain Unohana said that you needed rest for a few days after all of the stress you put on your body!" Momo said, "Wasn't that why your meeting with the other Captains was postponed?"

"I'm fine now, a Captain is resilient enough to handle such things," Toushiro said.

"All the same, be careful Shiro-chan. I don't know what I'd do if you were to get hurt again…"

"You take care too. And don't call me Shiro-chan, bed-wetter," Toushiro said.

"I don't wet the bed anymore," Momo said with a red face.

"Hey! You two are acting like you used to!" Rangiku said excitedly, "Does this mean…?"

"Yeah, we're friends again," Momo said cheerfully.

"That's fantastic! I'm so happy for you guys! We need to throw a party to celebrate!" Rangiku said.

"Didn't you hear me? I'm going to the living world, I can't go to some stupid party," Toushiro said bluntly.

"That reminds me," Momo said, "Rangiku, could you work with Karin on her training?"

"Um, sure. Why do you ask?"

"I'll also need you to keep her at your place again," Momo said, ignoring the question. Karin couldn't help but feel a bit hurt by this statement.

"Do you not want me around?" she asked.

"No, I just… need to do something, and you need to continue your training while I'm busy. You're really starting to develop your powers, and I have a feeling that you'll be needing them again soon," Momo said.

"Okay… but what will you be doing?" Karin asked.

"Oh, I have some special training to do," Momo said with a smile.

She suddenly drew her sword and held it out. It immediately began to glow, and a wind blew around it. The sword then began to dissolve, producing a glowing smoky substance, which immediately began to form take shape. Within moments, there was another figure present, a young girl who looked somewhat similar to Momo.

"Good luck Toushiro. Good luck to you too Karin," Momo said, "Now if you'll excuse me, we have important work to do…"


	30. Chapter 30

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 30_

"Uryu! Darling! It's time for lunch!" Yuzu called.

"Stop calling me that! And I can't come to lunch because I'm still fixing your stuffed animals!" Uryu hollered back.

"Come on Uryu, hurry up so you can eat lunch with your future wife!" Isshin shouted boisterously.

Uryu growled and went back to sewing up one of Yuzu's teddy bears. No matter how many times he told her otherwise, Yuzu was convinced that she and Uryu were soul-mates. She mistook his fulfilling his promise to Ichigo to look out for her for romantic interest, and now it was impossible to get away from her. He was in quite a difficult situation. As awkward and ridiculous as this was, his pride and honor as a Quincy would not allow him to just leave Yuzu and Isshin. He had promised Ichigo that he would look after them, and he would fulfill that promise, regardless of how… awkward it was to be around them.

"Uryu, hurry up! I have a surprise for you!" Yuzu called again.

"Fine, I'm coming!" Uryu yelled in frustration, putting down the teddy bear Yuzu had asked him to sew up. He would have to do that later. He stood up and walked out of the room and downstairs to the kitchen, where he knew Yuzu and Isshin were waiting. When he got there however, he froze in place, unable to move or speak in shock from what he saw.

Yuzu was laying on the table, wearing a yellow thong bikini and looking at him with an expression would expect to see on a model. Uryu's voice caught in his throat as he stared at her.

"Do you like it darling?" Yuzu said cheerfully, "Sorry for tricking you about lunch, but I wanted it to be a surprise! What do you think about it? Pretty sexy, huh?"

"What… what do you think you're doing?!" Uryu finally managed to say.

"I'm dressing up for my darling lover of course!" Yuzu said happily, "Daddy helped pick it out for me!"

"That's right!" Isshin said boisterously, "Doesn't the sight make you want to start making grandchildren?"

"Are you insane?!!" Uryu practically yelled at him, "Don't you have any idea how creepy that is?"

"Oh Uryu, don't be coy, we both know that we're destined to be together," Yuzu said, getting off the table and embracing Uryu, attempting to kiss him as he tried to push her off.

"What the hell is going on here?!!"

Uryu looked over to see Ichigo standing at the bottom of the doorsteps. Uryu knew it to be Kon in Ichigo's body, so did not react differently than normally.

"Oh, just doing what I always do when Yuzu is around," he said sarcastically as Yuzu tried kissing him.

"Well I'm going to have to beat your face in so you don't do it again then," Ichigo said, approaching Uryu with a furious look on his face.

"What's wrong with you?" Uryu asked as he drew nearer. Kon got jealous sometimes, but he usually didn't react like this.

"Hey Ichigo, why is your sister trying to make out with Uryu?"

Uryu looked over to the base of the stairs, his eyes widening in horror at who stood there.

"Ah, Rukia! I didn't notice you come in! You should have said something so that we could prepare lunch for you too!" Isshin said, getting up to greet Rukia.

"Rukia!" Yuzu said happily, finally letting go of Ichigo, "It's been so long since we've seen you!"

Uryu looked back at Ichigo, who was now inches away from his face and turning red with anger.

"You're… not Kon, are you?" Uryu said meekly.

---

Toushiro Hitsugaya stood on the roof of a building in Karakura Town's business district. He wasn't in a Gigai, though Urahara had prepared one for him just in case. Right now, he was simply watching out for any sign of trouble. They didn't know when, or even if, the enemy was going to attack Uryu Ishida, and they had to be prepared for any circumstances.

Though he wore his usual expression, in truth Toushiro was in a much better mood than normal. His friendship with Momo had finally been restored. The final remnants of the trauma brought about by Aizen had been brushed away. He took comfort in the fact that Momo had seemed significantly more cheerful than she had before. He was glad; Momo deserved happiness.

He and Momo's relationship was indeed unique. He was cold and reserved, she was warm and cheerful. He was a loner, she was popular and friendly. To a casual observer, they were polar opposites, but in reality they were as close as friends could be. They protected eachother and looked after one another's best interests. They depended on eachother, which was why the recent tension between them was so difficult. Now that things had been smoothed out, life seemed much brighter.

Toushiro allowed himself a small smile. Things had changed so quickly. He supposed it was just another aspect of their unique relationship that allowed them to push past their difficulties so quickly and reestablish their friendship. It was by no means easy, but the fact that just a few weeks ago they felt too awkward to speak to eachother spoke volumes about how different things now were. It was as if their friendship had never changed – no, that wasn't correct, their friendship had changed. Their friendship was now even stronger.

Reminding himself that he was still on a mission, Toushiro used shunpo to travel to the next area he was scheduled to monitor, though not dropping the smile on his face.

---

"I see…" Ichigo said slowly, taking a calming breath upon hearing Uryu's explanation, "So you're not… doing anything with my sister?"

"Of course not! What kind of person do you think I am?" Uryu huffed tersely.

"Alright, alright, I get it," Ichigo said in a lighter tone, "Sorry about the misunderstanding. I suppose I should be thanking you for taking such good care of my family. They seem to have really taken a liking to you."

"Tell me about it," Uryu rolled his eyes.

"Ichigo, isn't there something you should be saying?" Rukia said, clearing her throat to make her point.

"What?" Ichigo asked blankly.

"The reason we're here," Rukia said bluntly. Ichigo looked as if he was about to slap himself on the forehead.

"Right, sorry," he muttered in embarrassment, "We, uh, came to protect you, Uryu."

"I'm flattered, but I can take care of myself without the help of Shinigami," Uryu said coolly.

"No, you don't understand, there are these weird people who are after you. They're affiliated with that Shinigami girl you fought before. You may be in serious danger," Rukia clarified.

"I know," Uryu said, "I've known ever since that first attack that I was likely being targeted, and have been on guard since then. I am able to take care of myself, so there's no need for you to stay here."

"Well Soul Society thinks an attack may be imminent, so we're not going to be going any time soon," Ichigo insisted.

"You're so stubborn," Uryu grumbled.

"You're one to talk," Ichigo retorted with a slight smirk, "So how are things at school? I hope Kon hasn't been messing around with my body too much."

"Sado, Orihime, and I have managed to keep him in line," Uryu said, "To be honest though, I'm surprised that more people don't realize something is up, give his mannerisms."

"What do you mean?" Rukia asked.

"Did you expect Kon to act like Ichigo all the time? We could prevent him from being a pervert and engaging in exceptionally stupid activities, but we couldn't stop him from acting noticeably different from you. Tatsuki is definitely aware that something is going on, and Keigo and Mizuiro are catching on too," Uryu explained.

"Keigo and Mizuiro can be placated with simple explanations. Tatsuki has always known that something was up, but hopefully she's accepted the way things are. As long as Kon doesn't let anything major slip, she won't get involved in it," Ichigo said.

"She doesn't like being left out," Uryu noted.

"That may be true, but it's for her own good," Ichigo said, "It's better that she's not involved in this Shinigami business."

"Is that really any way to treat your friend?" Uryu asked.

"I'd like to tell her, I really would, but without any real powers of her own, making her aware would just put her in danger. Look at Karin. She figured out what was going on, and it led her to put herself at risk and… well, you know the rest," Ichigo said with a sigh, "My point is that it's best for me to not get her involved. I'm already bound to Soul Society, so even if I did tell her, I couldn't do anything for her. My life is bound to Soul Society now. I won't be in this world much as it is."

"I see," Uryu said, "Orihime will be sad to hear that, she misses you. Sado too."

"Are you trying to guilt-trip me into something?" Ichigo asked, "You know that I have responsibilities in Soul Society that I can't just abandon. Even if I'd like to be here with my friends, it just isn't feasible. I'm going to be a Captain soon, and between the responsibilities of that position and looking out for Karin, I won't be able to visit this world much."

"Don't worry, I understand," Uryu said casually, "I'm just saying that you're still human, so you don't need to devote your life entirely to the Shinigami."

"When did you become so fond of meddling in other people's business again?"

"He may be right, Ichigo," Rukia said calmly, "Why not live your life out on earth, and then go to Soul Society. You'll probably be a Captain eventually anyways, so what's the rush?"

"I've already made the commitment, and besides, there's Karin to worry about," Ichigo said, "Besides, I've already come so far! You were there, you know how much training and preparation I've done to ready myself for the Captaincy! Why are you suddenly asking me to drop it?"

"I'm not, I'm just trying to make sure that you don't lose track of other important things in your life," Rukia said, "I don't want to see you end up making a decision you'll regret. I'm sure Uryu has the same concerns."

"Actually I'm just hoping that you'll come back so that I won't have to remain the target of your sister's lust," Uryu said, provoking a scowl from Ichigo.

---

"Good! Very good! Show me that move again!" Rangiku said as she sparred with Karin.

"It's kind of a 'heat of the moment' thing, I can't do it completely on will," Karin grunted, parrying a strike with her Shikai.

"If you want to get better you'll have to master control over your powers. If you don't, I'm going to get ya!" Rangiku said playfully, striking at Karin's feet.

Karin leapt into the air to avoid the attack, and gripped her zanpakuto tightly as she prepared to attempt to use her power again. She channeled her reiatsu through the blade, feeling the sensation of the sword becoming an extension of her arm. She felt the power flow, and just as Rangiku began another strike, she brought her zanpakuto forward to meet it.

A loud crack echoed through the area, and Rangiku's sword was pushed back by an invisible force. Karin smiled at her success, and was joined by Rangiku as soon as she regained her composure.

"That was wonderful Karin! Soon you'll be able to use your power completely on will," she said.

"Thanks… do you think we can take a break?" Karin panted, wiping sweat from her forehead with her free hand.

"Yeah, I suppose you've earned a break," Rangiku said, sheathing her zanpakuto. Karin returned Denryu to its normal state, and put it back in its scabbard.

"Thanks for practicing with me," she said to Rangiku.

"No problem. Momo has really trained you well," Rangiku said.

"Yeah, that's true. I owe a lot of my current strength to her," Karin said, "I'm still not quite at your level though. It will be a while before I can compete with a Vice-Captain."

"Oh, I don't know, you were pressuring me a bit," Rangiku smiled, "I think you may reach that level faster than you think. You might even become a Vice-Captain yourself some day. Perhaps even a Captain, given the right amount of time."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Karin said, brushing aside the suggestion that she could ever become a Vice-Captain, let alone a Captain.

"Don't sell yourself short," Rangiku said, "You've shown truly amazing progress given the short amount of time you've been training. I predict great things from you. I'm sure Momo does too."

The mention of Momo reminded Karin of something she had been meaning to ask.

"Rangiku, what kind of training is Momo doing?" she asked. Rangiku hesitated a second before answering.

"She's training to achieve Bankai, the final release of her zanpakuto," she finally explained.

Karin's eyes widened. She had of course heard of Bankai, and was aware that Momo (along with many others) was probably seeking it, but she didn't realize that she was going to do it so quickly.

"How… how does someone train for Bankai?" Karin asked.

"It's different for every person, but in all variations, it involves a Shinigami forcing his or her zanpakuto into submission. That girl we saw with Momo earlier was the manifestation of Tobiume," Rangiku explained. Karin reflected on this new information with astonishment.

"How… how long will it be before she achieves Bankai?" Karin asked. Rangiku shrugged.

"I don't know," she said, "After materializing a zanpakuto, the time it takes for a Shinigami to subdue it is highly variable. It may be a matter of days or it may be a matter of weeks, months, or even years. It's impossible to know for certain. We just have to maintain faith in Momo that she will be able to do it…"

---

Momo sat with her legs crossed and her hands in her lap. Her eyes were closed and she took slow, steady breaths. Across from her, Tobiume sat in a similar pose, and between them was a glowing orange ball suspended in mid-air.

To an observer, it would appear that neither was doing anything, but in reality, a fierce battle was raging. Inside that glowing ball of energy, Momo and Tobiume's powers clashed and fought for dominance. Absolute concentration and focus was needed from both of them. This battle was not between enemies, but within Momo herself. Tobiume was a part of Momo's soul, and as such was essentially Momo herself in a different form. This fact did not make the battle any less vicious though.

The invisible battle raged within that serene glow as each fought for dominance. Huge quantities of reiatsu were required to maintain control, and intense concentration was needed. As time dragged on and hours passed, hunger and fatigue set in, but Momo did not let those distract her. She was determined to go through with this.

Only a week ago, she would have been unable to do this. The doubts and insecurities in her heart would have hampered any effort she made. Now though, her renewed friendship with Toushiro had changed her. She found herself able to look ahead and put aside her doubts to focus on what needed to be done. She was absolutely determined. She would do this; she had to do this.

---

"Hey Sado…" Orihime said with a sigh, walking up to Sado on the school roof.

"Hello Orihime," Sado said calmly, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Orihime said with a smile that did little to hide her gloomy demeanor.

"Ichigo is back," Sado said. Orihime didn't answer. Sado's statement was not meant to be news.

"He's been back for three days, but he hasn't visited us," Orihime sighed, "He hasn't even come to school."

"He's probably busy with his Shinigami work," Sado reasoned, "I saw Rukia at Urahara's shop the other day, and she said that he was here on official business. He may be spending time with his family too."

"Do you think he's forgotten about us?" Orihime asked glumly.

"No… of course not," Sado said, "A lot has happened, he's probably confused about it himself. I trust that Ichigo won't forget us though. He's not that kind of person."

"Yeah, you're right," Orihime said with a slight smile.

Suddenly, they both felt a massive burst of spirit energy. Reiatsu was coming from several sources, and whoever was causing it was very powerful. It felt very strange and sinister, and it did not take long to determine that it was likely an enemy.

"Sado!" Orihime said in panic.

"I know! Let's get to Ichigo! He'll need our help," Sado said, hurriedly rushing off the roof to go to Ichigo's aid.

* * *

Thanks for reading. Thank you to war90, Thunder Claw03, oOoHKoOo, The Great Pineapple MEKI, nexuswarrior, and DigiPal for reviewing! Please review!


	31. Chapter 31

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 31_

Mansamusa gazed over Karakura town from above, analyzing the situation.

"There are three Shinigami present, as well as several other spiritually aware individuals," he announced to the assembled group, "There is no doubt that they are allies of the Quincy, and will fight to defend him. We will need to spread out both to engage them and to search for the Quincy. It is possible that the Quincy is in hiding, so be sure to stay alert for any sign of him. We need him alive. Fubaika, circle around the perimeter of the town going east."

"Yes sir."

"Heisen, you circle around the town to the west," Mansamusa ordered a female arrancar with hollow mask fragments below her eyes.

"As you wish, sir."

"Senna, Yochito, go straight into the heart of the town to search."

"Very well," a robed man said.

"We'll get right on it!" Senna said energetically.

"I'll search more discretely. Engage any opponents you encounter, but remember that our primary objective is the Quincy. Now go," Mansamusa ordered.

The gathered warriors scattered in the directions they had been ordered, heading into Karakura Town to find their prey.

---

"Let go of me!" Uryu shouted, struggling against Sado as he held him back.

"You can't go out there," Sado said calmly.

"I'm not going to just stand by while everyone else puts themselves in danger!" Uryu said.

"They're after you. Don't be so quick to throw yourself in the jaws of the enemy. If you are captured, it will make the efforts of everyone who fights for you pointless."

"I can take care of myself! I don't need the protection of Shinigami," Uryu said.

"Then will you accept the protection of friends?" Sado asked, "Please Uryu, it's important that you stay hidden. Whatever they want you for, it can't be good. There will be other opportunities for you, but right now you must remain hidden."

Uryu stopped struggling and took a deep breath, thinking about Sado's words. After several painfully long seconds, he let out a resigned sigh.

"Very well," he said grudgingly, "I'll stay here."

Sado nodded and let go of Uryu, turning to leave. Uryu watched as he left to join the battle, frustrated that he was unable to aid him in it.

---

Ichigo and Rukia leapt from roof to roof across Karakura town.

"You're sure they're this way?" Ichigo said.

"The sensor is acting a bit odd, but there are definitely two sources of spirit energy in this general direction!" Rukia said.

"No we're not," someone behind them coolly said.

They turned to see two figures. One was Senna, whom Ichigo immediately recognized. The other was a rather nondescript brown haired man wearing heavy robes. Ichigo and Rukia immediately drew their swords, as did Senna, but the man did not make a move.

"Senna, I'll leave this to you. I'm going to wait this one out," he said.

"Are you sure, Yochito?" Senna asked.

"Yes, I'd rather watch for now," the man named Yochito said.

"Don't play games!" Ichigo said, "There are two of us and two of you! I've already defeated this one before, so I'll inevitably be fighting you!"

"I don't really feel like it," Yochito said simply, sitting down atop the building they were on, "Besides, the girl can't fight Senna, she already has an opponent of her own."

"What?" Rukia said in surprise.

At that moment, a female Shinigami with pink-streaked hair appeared, attacking Rukia from behind. Rukia only barely managed to block the strike. She turned to face the woman, who wore an insane smirk upon her face.

"I am Fubaiku," she said in a voice much softer than her rough appearance suggested, "I will be killing you today."

"Rukia!" Ichigo yelled, turning to help her. Before he could however, Senna blocked his way.

"You're fighting me, remember?" she said with a smile.

"Shut up and get out of the way! I already defeated you once before, I can't waste my time with you now!" Ichigo growled, "Bankai!"

Ichigo's reiatsu surged as he used Bankai. His zanpakuto became smaller and completely black, and he was now adorned with a ragged black jacket. He turned to Senna, wanting to defeat her quickly so he could go help Rukia. He swung his Bankai at her forcefully, but to his great surprise, she blocked it. Ichigo had a look of shock on his face, to which Senna smirked as she pushed his blade away and attacked.

Nearby, Fubaiku was already fighting Rukia. Their swords clashed, with Fubaiku forcing Rukia back as they fought. She was very strong, and her blade seemed to hold exceptional menace. At several points, Rukia tried to use Kido, but Fubaiku never allowed her enough of an opening to do so.

"Is that the best you can do?" Fubaiku mocked, "I was hoping to get a real fight out of this!"

"I think you will find that there is plenty more that I can do. Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" Rukia said. With a gust of icy wind, her blade changed, turning pure white with a ribbon attached to it. "Some no mai, Tsukishiro!" she said, holding her zanpakuto upside-down while making a slashing motion.

The ground beneath Fubaiku glowed, and she leapt away only just as a massive pillar of ice formed, reaching into the sky. It shattered moments later, sending ice shards raining down as Rukia and Fubaiku faced off.

"Very well then. I too will release my zanpakuto," Fubaiku said, "Breathe, Dokazeta!"

A powerful gust of wind blew, and Fubaiku's blade disappeared, leaving only the grip, which had turned into what looked like some kind of scoop. Rukia stared at it, trying to determine what her opponent's weapon did. She kept her guard up, not wanting to find out the hard way. Fubaiku grinned.

"Wondering what it does? Let me show you," she said. Rukia held up her sword defensively as Fubaiku lunged at her. When she was a few feet away, she flicked her wrist, and a cut suddenly appeared on Rukia's cheek. Startled, she leapt back, wiping the blood off in shock. Fubaiku laughed.

"You're probably wondering why you're bleeding even though my blade is gone. I'll tell you why: my blade is not of metal, it's air!" Fubaiku said loudly, "When it's spinning at a high enough speed, the air used by my Dokazeta can cut just as well as any other blade, but unlike a metal sword, you can't see it! Can you block a sword you can't even see?"

Rukia did not respond, merely glaring at Fubaiku.

"Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren," she said, sending an icy blast at Fubaiku.

"Aori!" Fubaiku shouted, thrusting her sword forward. A powerful blast of wind countered Rukia's ice attack, stopping it in its place.

"Hado 33, Sokatsui!" Rukia yelled, thinking quickly. A blast of blue energy shot from her palm towards Fubaiku, but she dodged it.

"You're not going to beat me like that!" she mocked. Rukia did not respond to her taunts, instead preparing for another attack.

---

Toushiro looked over his opponent as he stood in the man's path.

"Very impressive," the man said, "I was intending to go in more quietly than the others, but you detected me all the same. You truly are gifted."

"Who are you, and what is your business here?" Toushiro asked coldly.

"Quite direct, aren't you?" the man laughed, "I am Mansamusa, Deputy-Commander of the Fourth Rising. I believe you know what – or should I say, _who_ – our target is."

"In that case, tell me what the 'Fourth Rising' is," Toushiro said.

"Not one for manners, are you? When you want to know something, you have to give people a _reason_ to answer," Mansamusa said, pulling out a long, blue-green crystal spike.

"Fine, I'll give you a reason," Toushiro said, gripping Hyourinmaru tightly in his hands. He leapt at Mansamusa, swinging his blade down upon him. Mansamusa blocked with his spike, a look of amusement on his face.

"You are certainly hasty. I take it you're new to being a Captain?" he said.

"I am Captain Hitsugaya of the Tenth Division," Toushiro said, "The time I've been a Captain is irrelevant to our battle."

"Are you sure that it's so irrelevant? Because from what I've heard, you've been Captain of the Tenth Division for less than a decade, whereas I was Captain of the Tenth Division for over five hundred years."

Toushiro's eyes widened at this statement.

"You were a Captain?" he asked in shock.

"A long time ago, yes," Mansamusa responded.

"Why did you betray Soul Society?" Toushiro asked.

"It's a long story, one not suitable right now," Mansamusa said. With that, he twisted his spike around in an attempt to spear Toushiro through the stomach. Toushiro managed to leap back at the last minute. He looked at his opponent, quite aware that he would need to use his full strength to win this battle.

"Bankai! Daiguren Hyourinmaru!" he yelled. Ice flowed over him, encasing his arms in ice and forming huge ice wings behind him.

"So that's the Bankai I've heard so much about. Curious, very curious," Mansamusa mused, "Oh well, I suppose I'll just have to fight you a bit more seriously."

---

Sado grunted as he was knocked back by the arrancar. He barely managed to stay on his feet as he skidded backwards from the impact. The arrancar in front of him was female, with red-orange hair and hollow mask fragments on her cheeks.

"Stand aside and tell me where the Quincy is," she demanded, "If you do, I'll let you go."

Sado did not bother answering. He drew his fist back and lunged at the arrancar with another punch. With a look of annoyance, the arrancar moved out of the way of the strike and grabbed his wrist, throwing him into a nearby wall effortlessly.

"You can't defeat me, so stop being so irritating," she said, "I am Heisen, the last of the arrancar. Someone like you cannot possibly hope to defeat me."

Sado grunted and attacked again. He released an energy blast from his fist, which Heisen dodged quite easily. She seemed quite annoyed at this point.

"Okay, seriously: Stop it! You can't win, you're just wasting time for both of us. I'm not going to hurt your town or friends, I just want the Quincy," she said.

"He is one of my friends," Sado said quietly.

Heisen's eyes narrowed slightly at this.

"I see. In that case you will be useful bait in luring him out," she said, "Burn up! Infierno!"

A wall of fire surrounded Heisen, causing Sado to flinch at the heat. When it disappeared, Heisen had changed. She was now covered in white armor except for her arms, which were coated in flames. The mask fragments on her cheeks had expanded to cover her upper face. She grinned at him.

"How do you like it? This is my resureccion. With it, you are as good as dead. I won't kill you though, only use you as bait for the Quincy. Tormenta de Fuego!" Heisen said. The flames on her arms began to expand, becoming hotter and more intense. She held her arms as if to fire the intense flames at him, when suddenly, she froze.

A beam of light stuck through her chest. She looked down in shock, the flames disappearing. She turned around to see Uryu Ishida behind her, his energy bow held up.

"I believe you were looking for me?" he said calmly.

Heisen looked as if she were about to scream in rage, but only mustered the energy to whisper "Damn…" before dissolving into dust from the strike. A Seele Schneider fell to the ground, the blue energy gone. Uryu walked forward to pick it up as Sado looked at him in shock.

"You said that you would let us handle it!" he said.

"I did… for a while," Uryu said simply.

"Uryu…"

"I wasn't going to let you be injured on my account. Now come on, we should both seek shelter. The others are still battling, and we will just get in the way," Uryu said.

---

Ichigo ducked as Senna slashed at his head.

"Nice dodge, Ichigo!" she said, parrying his retaliatory strike.

"Stop talking like you know me!" Ichigo said irritably.

"But I do know you!" Senna protested, swinging at Ichigo's side, "We were friends!"

"Don't take me for a fool! I think I would remember being friends with someone like you, and if we were friends, you wouldn't be attacking me," Ichigo said, fighting Senna.

"It's nothing personal! I'm doing this out of gratitude to my master for saving my life," Senna said.

"Who is your master?" Ichigo yelled at her. Senna blocked his sword's strike and struck him in the stomach, knocking him back.

"That is something I cannot tell you," she said calmly.

Ichigo gasped, clutching his stomach. She was far stronger than last time. In fact, she was fighting him on equal ground, even though he had thoroughly outmatched her previously. What was going on? He tried to think of what was different from when they fought before. Perhaps she was wearing a limiter last time, or hadn't been taking the fight seriously in the first place. No, that didn't make sense. She was definitely stronger than before, not just fighting better. Ichigo was greatly confused by this girl. Everything about her was strange, yet at the same time he felt a sense of familiarity. On top of that, he did not sense any evil intentions from her. When she said that she considered Ichigo to be a friend, she seemed to really mean it, despite him not having any memories of her. He gripped his sword tightly, unsure what to do.

"Ichigo, look over there!" Senna suddenly said, pointing behind him. Ichigo nearly rolled his eyes.

"Don't try such childish tricks on me," he said.

"It's not a trick Ichigo! Your sister! Your sister's in danger!" Senna yelled at him.

Ichigo's eyes widened, and he turned in horror to see Yuzu standing atop the roof of her school, dangerously close to the battle. Only a short distance away from her, Rukia was fighting Fubaiku, and from the appearance of it, losing.

Ichigo immediately began to shunpo towards Yuzu, wanting to get her out of the dangerous area, but just as he did, Fubaiku released a wind blast towards Rukia. Rukia managed to dodge it, but the blast of air continued, hitting the roof of the school and knocking Ichigo off the edge.

"No!" Ichigo yelled, desperately using Shunpo to get to her. It was too late, however. Ichigo could tell that he wouldn't reach her before she reached the ground. She seemed to fall in slow motion as he watched in horror.

At the last moment however, just a few feet before hitting the ground, a large number of thin threads shot towards Yuzu, wrapping around her and stopping her fall. She was held in mid-air for a moment, shock in her eyes as she was slowly lowered to the ground. She shakily looked around for a moment, unsure what was going on, before running off, taking shelter inside the school.

Ichigo's eyes turned to the source of the thread, and saw to his shock that they led to the one Senna had called Yochito. The threads withdrew into the sleeves of his robes, and he merely watched passively as Ichigo approached him in shock.

"Why?" Ichigo asked, his voice shaking slightly from the shock of what had just happened, "Why did you save her."

"Why wouldn't I?" Yochito shrugged, "There would be nothing to be gained from an innocent bystander dying, and in fact it would probably just lead you to seek revenge against us. I had the ability to save her, so I did."

"Thank you," Ichigo said slowly, "However, this does not change the fact that we are enemies."

"Of course," Yochito nodded. No sooner had he done so, however, Senna leapt in to attack Ichigo. Ichigo easily blocked her strike.

"Now that your sisters out of harm's way, it's time we started our fight again," she said.

"Senna, don't," Yochito said, "My meditation has been broken, you won't be able to combat him right now."

"Meditation… Wait, you were doing something to transfer power to her, weren't you?" Ichigo asked Yochito.

"I was," Yochito nodded.

"Why didn't you fight me yourself to begin with?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't care for fighting, and besides, Senna is an old friend of yours, so I thought it would be polite to leave you to her," Yochito said.

"She's not my friend, I don't even know her!" Ichigo protested. Yochito smiled benignly at him.

"You'll find that what your mind remembers and what actually happened are two different things," he said with a slight chuckle. A single thread shot out of his sleeve, and before Ichigo could react it touched him on the forehead. Ichigo froze, his eyes wide. Memories that he had forgotten he had flooded into his head.

For a moment, Ichigo was frozen in shock, but then he slowly turned to Senna, recognition finally dawning on him.

"Senna… it's you…"

---

"You bitch, you did that on purpose!" Rukia yelled at Fubaiku, slashing angrily at her.

"It worked, didn't it? I distracted you enough to make you let your guard down," Fubaiku said with a smirk, pointing at Rukia's bloody left arm.

"Attacking an innocent bystander… you're a monster," Rukia growled.

"Better a monster than dead!" Fubaiku laughed, lunging at Rukia to stab her with her sword of air.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura."

Fubaiku's eyes widened as what looked like petals encircled her. Moments later, she was covered from head to toe in cuts from thousands of tiny blades, falling to the ground. Rukia stared in shock at her, turning in shock to the person who saved her.

"Brother…" she gasped as Byakuya stood calmly, his face expressionless.

"Rukia… We've come to your assistance in this battle," he calmly said.

"We?" Rukia asked in confusion.

---

Toushiro was knocked back by Mansamusa's blow. A large cut on his forehead bled profusely, and his uniform was torn in several places.

"You are quite skilled for your age," Mansamusa said calmly, "But I'm afraid your efforts are in vain. Someone as young as you cannot defeat me, regardless of comparative skill. It would be in your best interest to stand down."

"I am a Captain of the Gotei 13. I will not stand down, and I will not surrender. I will fight you, and I will stop you," Toushiro said.

"I see. If that is the case, you will have to be killed. It's a shame. I hate to see such young blood shed. But with your attitude, it would seem I have no choice…"

Mansamusa leapt at Toushiro with great speed, striking with his crystal spike in an attack that would certainly cause Toushiro severe injury. Before it could connect however, a pair of blades stopped the attack.

"Hello Mansamusa. It's been a long time, my old friend."

"Captain Kyouraku!" Toushiro said in shock. The old Captain stood between him and Mansamusa, his pink haori blowing in the wind.

"Shunsui Kyouraku…" Mansamusa said, "My, it truly has been a long time."

"Indeed. I was surprised to see you alive, let alone a traitor…" Kyouraku said sadly, "You were a good friend, but if you have turned against the Gotei 13…"

"I have," Mansamusa confirmed.

"I see…" Kyouraku said, "Captain Hitsugaya, let us take him together. This is an opponent that it would be unwise to fight alone."

"Very well," Toushiro said, holding his sword up to fight.

---

"Senna… it's really you," Ichigo said, too shocked to comment on the arrival of two additional captains, "Why are you fighting against Soul Society? How did you survive?"

"I'm afraid that I'll have to interrupt you," Yochito said, "It is my turn to battle you."

"What did you do to Senna?" Ichigo asked him, holding his sword aggressively, "What have you people done to turn her like this?"

"We did nothing. She is with us on her own free will," Yochito said.

"I'm taking her back with me. I won't let her remain in your hands," Ichigo said, "You've practically already lost this battle. We have two more Captains to fight you now, so you should really just surrender."

"Lost the battle? Whatever do you mean?" Yochito asked politely.

"You're not going to be able to capture Uryu," Ichigo said, "That was the entire reason you attacked, so now that he's safe and we have reinforcements to fight you, you've as good as lost this battle."

"And what makes you believe that the Quincy is our true objective?" Yochito asked quietly.

---

Jidanbo stood outside the western gate of the protective wall around Seireitei. It was quiet and calm. Birds were singing and there was a pleasant breeze.

Suddenly, there was a buzzing noise, and the air nearby distorted. Jidanbo immediately grabbed his axes as a man emerged from the warped air.

"Halt! I am the great Jidanbo, guardian of-"

The man cut off Jidanbo with three energy blasts to the chest, which toppled Jidanbo to the ground.

Usagi slipped his gun back inside his robes, looking at the gate in front of him with a smirk. Using his glider, he floated up into the air, going higher and higher until the gate looked like little more than a thin line. He put a hand into his pocket and fumbled around a moment before withdrawing a small object that looked like a thick coin. He held it between his fingers and gave it a playful kiss before dropping it and covering his ears.

A flash as bright as the sun illuminated Soul Society, followed by a massive shockwave that nearly made Usagi lose balance atop his glider. After regaining his composure, he looked down with glee at the smoking ruins of the wall, flying down to the huge gap in the wall. As the smoke cleared, more figures became visible, causing Usagi to grin.

"Ah, so you did come! I thought you might have skipped out on me!" he laughed, looking over the numerous brown-robed warriors. They were armed with an assortment of weapons, and some were mounted on hollows with metal masks and reins. He looked at the mass of warriors expectantly, but they didn't move.

"Well what are you waiting for? Go in and fight!" Usagi said in annoyance. They still didn't move, making Usagi growl, "Come on you stupid jerks, go in and fight before the Shinigami arrive to defend the wall!" They still didn't move.

Usagi was becoming extremely irritated when in the distance, from another section of wall, there was another explosion. The warriors immediately raised their weapons into the air and let out harsh battle cries, now rushing into Seireitei.

"Well, I suppose that works too…" Usagi said, flying into Seireitei atop his glider as the warriors flooded into the walled city.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to oOoHKoOo, theblueturtle6, Thunder Claw03, nexuswarrior, The Great Pineapple MEKI, war90, DIMITRILOVER21, Nathan J Xaxson, DigiPal, Guibin, moonlight gabriel, and Psyco101 for reviewing! Please review!


	32. Chapter 32

A/N: Sorry it took so long! I got out of the habit of writing a bit every day, and I ended up procrastinating and putting it off. I'll try to do better for the next chapter! Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter, and please review this one when you're finished!

* * *

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 32_

"What do you mean? Wasn't Uryu the reason you're here?" Ichigo asked.

"We would have liked to capture the Quincy, true enough, but a much more important target has arisen. As we speak, an attack is being launched on Seireitei by our allies," Yochito said. Ichigo's eyes widened.

"Byakuya!" he yelled, turning to Byakuya, who was standing a short distance away.

"I know, we've just received an alert from Seireitei," Byakuya said, his normally calm voice displaying audible tension.

"We have to get back!" Ichigo said.

"We can't, the Senkaimon has been blocked and we can't make another one. We're stuck here for now."

"What?!"

"Is it normal for you to turn your back to an enemy like this?" Yochito said calmly. Ichigo immediately turned back to him, his sword pointed at Yochito threateningly.

"What are you after? Why are you doing this? What did you do to make Senna follow you?" he asked aggressively. Yochito remained quiet, causing Ichigo to grind his teeth angrily.

"I see. I guess I'll have to beat the answer out of you," he said harshly.

---

"Shit!" Toushiro growled, nearly crushing the earpiece that just delivered the message that Seireitei was under attack.

"Still as crafty as ever, I see," Kyouraku said to Mansamusa.

"The credit does not go to me this time," Mansamusa said, "This attack was planned by someone far more ruthless and skilled in the ways of warfare than I."

"Just how many of your underlings have you sent to Seireitei?" Kyouraku asked.

"That is not really important at the moment. What matters is that the Gotei 13 has two unfilled Captain positions, one Captain too injured to fight, three Captains and a Captain-level fighter stuck in this world, and the Captain-Commander away. Added to that, Captain Unohana will no doubt focus on healing the wounded, so in effect there will be only three Captains able to fight."

"Don't underestimate our Captains, you should know that we are a hardy bunch," Kyouraku said.

"You would be wise not to underestimate us either, my old friend," Mansamusa said. He held his crystal spike with both hands and broke it down the middle. There was a bright light, and crystals began to grow from the point of the break, encasing Mansamusa's hands and travelling up his arms. The crystals continued to grow until they had completely covered him. He was now shielded with glittering crystal, which also formed a spiked crown atop his head. Toushiro and Kyouraku faced him down, preparing for an even more difficult fight.

---

Chaos reigned in Seireitei. The warriors and the hollows they controlled rampaged through the streets, setting buildings aflame, battling Shinigami, and killing anyone unable to defend against them. Some rode atop hollows fitted with armor and chains, others ran through the streets on foot, fighting any Shinigami they came across. Some held chains to hollows that they directed to attack like beasts of war.

Usagi grinned as he watched the chaos from atop his glider. Occasionally he would take a shot at a Shinigami on the ground, but for the most part he was content to watch. He glanced at a long-legged hollow attacking a number of Shinigami with tentacles on its underside. Atop it sat one of the robed warriors, directing it to attack.

He was rather pleased with himself. This mission was going quite nicely. All that was left was to capture the target…

As he flew around, he noticed something between two buildings. He flew down to see it, and grinned when he saw that it was just a pink-haired little girl.

"Well hello there!" he giggled, "I wonder what someone like you is doing in a place like this. Perhaps I should take you with me…"

"You'd better watch out mister," the girl said with a bright smile, "Ken-chan wants to play with you!"

"Eh? What's a Ken-chan? Some kind of gerbil?"

Suddenly there was a loud roar behind him. Usagi turned to see the large hollow cut cleanly in half, a Shinigami with a mad grin standing in front of it.

"I suppose you must be Ken-chan, huh?" Usagi said irritably, readying his weapons for battle.

"I am Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of the Eleventh Division!" the man said with a wide grin, "I've watched you floating around for a while. Why don't you come over and fight me? I'll even give you one free strike!"

"Really? Sweet!" Usagi said with a grin, taking his sharpened black rod and lunging at the man calling himself Kenpachi. A satisfied smirk spread across his face as he made contact, but it disappeared when he realized that it hadn't even broken the skin. Kenpachi grinned down at him.

"Oh shit…" Usagi muttered.

---

"The northern and western gates have been breached by two separate groups. They have spread out and penetrated deep into Seireitei. We've been able to create a defensive perimeter around the Fourth, Second, and First divisions, but everywhere else the fighting is chaotic and unorganized. The enemy is disorganized as well. Aside from a more solid attack force from the north and west, smaller groups have broken off to fight all over Seireitei. There are only a few areas left untouched. This is one of those areas, hence why we're here," Shuuhei Hisagi said, a map of Seireitei in front of him as he spoke to Renji, Iba, and Sasakibe.

"Where are the other Captains?" Sasakibe asked.

"Captain Ukitake is fighting near his division, and Captain Komamura is directing Shinigami at the front lines," Hisagi answered, "Captain Unohana is treating the wounded and Captain Kurotsuchi is somewhere in his division. We can't get in contact with Captain Zaraki."

"Sir, shouldn't we be going to help in the fight instead of dawdling around here?" Renji asked impatiently.

"We need the information we've gathered to be transferred to our forces. Iba, you go inform Captain Komamura and assist him in directing the battle. Sasakibe, you can go inform Captain Ukitake. Abarai, I'd like you to stay with me for the fight. Understood?"

"Yes sir," all three of them said.

"Good, now hurry up and inform the Captains about what I've told you," Hisagi said. Sasakibe and Iba quickly used shunpo to leave, with Renji staying behind.

"Shuuhei… I mean Captain Hisagi, is something wrong? There were times you didn't seem very confident when you were briefing us on the situation. Is something else going on?" Renji asked.

"It's… probably nothing," Hisagi said, "I just happened to notice that the invading force has entirely avoided the tenth division despite it being directly in the path of the invaders. It's like they're intentionally avoiding it."

"Well, that's good, isn't it? It means fewer buildings damaged and more troops that can join in on the main battle without having to worry about their own division," Renji said.

"Yes, but why not target it? No, forget that, why are they targeting these other places? They haven't done anything except cause damage. Their attack doesn't make any sense unless… they're trying to keep that one area isolated…" Hisagi said slowly.

"But why would they do that unless…" Renji's eyes widened at the realization.

"This entire invasion is just a ruse so they can capture one person…" Hisagi finished for him.

---

Karin winced at the sound of an explosion in the distance. Rangiku stood across the room, speaking into a headset as the battle raged outside.

"No, keep your flanks strong and don't let them surround you," she said to her subordinates, "If they manage to separate you from the main force, you're done for!"

Karin listened as she gave several more orders before turning the headset off and sighing.

"Maybe you should go help them," Karin said.

"No, you and I will be staying here. I can direct them well enough like this," Rangiku said.

"You don't have to stay here to look after me, I'll be fine on my own," Karin said, "There aren't any enemies in this area, and even if there were, I could fight them off."

"I know, but I can't just leave you. Ichigo would never forgive me," Rangiku said. Karin sighed, not liking the idea of just waiting around while a battle was going on outside. Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door, causing both of them to stiffen. Rangiku placed a hand on her sheathed sword and slowly walked towards the door.

Gripping her sword tightly, she nervously opened the door. She breathed a sigh of relief to see that it was not an enemy, but Momo and Izuru.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked, hiding her relief.

"Well what are you doing here? We need you on the battlefield!" Izuru said.

"The Tenth Division Shinigami are without a commander," Momo added, "You need to join the battle as soon as possible."

"I'm relaying orders to them via voice-link," Rangiku explained, "They'll do fine without me there."

"But they'd do better with you there! Come on Rangiku, we really need to hurry!" Momo said anxiously.

"I'm sorry, but I can't go," Rangiku said.

"Why not?" Momo said in exasperation.

"I… I just can't," Rangiku replied, crossing her arms awkwardly. Momo glanced over at Karin, quickly realizing why Rangiku was refusing to join the battle.

"Karin will be fine here. She's more than capable, and the battle isn't even near this area," Momo said.

"Come on Rangiku, you're really needed," Izuru urged her.

"I know that… but I just can't. I have a really bad feeling about all of this, and I can't just leave her alone," Rangiku said.

"Rangiku, please be reasonable! You can't-"

"Shhh!" Rangiku suddenly said, stiffening, "Do you hear that?"

They all became completely quiet, straining their ears.

"I don't hear anything," Izuru said. Rangiku put a finger to her lips and shushed him again.

"There it is again! Can't you hear it?"

Several moments later, they did indeed begin to hear what Rangiku spoke of. A strange clicking, tapping sound could be heard from above. A sense of dread immediately came over all in the room. Rangiku's eyes widened in recognition of the sound.

"We have to get out of here _now_," she said urgently.

"What is it Rangiku?"

Before she could answer, the ceiling exploded, sending dust all over the room. When the dust began to clear, all four of them froze. The terrifying, skeletal being that Rangiku knew all too well stood before them, its tiny yellow eyes turned towards Karin.


	33. Chapter 33

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 33_

Karin was frozen in fear. An overwhelming sense of terror washed over her, as if all hope had abandoned her. The being in front of her was truly monstrous. It seemed like the skeletons of a human and a demon combined. Spines protruded from its back, and horns and tusks came from its head. The two specks of light from its eyeholes were settled upon her as cold sweat began to run down her body. What the hell was this thing?

She didn't know how long she had been frozen in place when the being slowly lifted one of its skeletal arms, the long, bony fingers opening. The next thing she knew, she was jerked backwards, and the being's outstretched hand was right in front of her face. Snapping out of her daze, she realized that Momo and Izuru had pulled her back just as the monstrosity had tried to grab her. They and Rangiku had already drawn their swords, though they looked just as fearful as Karin felt.

"What is this thing?" Izuru whispered.

"It's what attacked Captain Hitsugaya and I before," Rangiku said, instinctively running her fingers over the scars across her face.

"That… That's the thing that defeated Toushiro and Captain Soi Fon?" Momo said, fear creeping into her voice.

Rangiku nodded. "This thing is way beyond what we're capable of dealing with… Run!"

Grabbing Karin, they immediately began to turn towards the door, but before they could make it out, the creature leapt through the air, landing in front of the doorway.

"Hado 31, Shakkaho!" Momo yelled. The explosion threw up smoke as it hit the beast in the chest, giving them the opportunity to flee through the gap in the wall the creature had created.

Once outside, they immediately began running as fast as they could, Izuru carrying Karin as she was still barely able to move from smoke from Rangiku's wrecked home rose into the air behind them.

"What now?" Momo asked.

"Keep running," Rangiku said, "There's no way that thing is down. We've got to keep running."

Sure enough, within moments they caught sight of a white blur running behind them. It ran faster than any of them, almost like an animal, and it would only be moments before they would be overtaken by it. Karin could see Momo muttering words to a Kido spell under her breath as they ran, and within moments a web of energy ropes had been conjured behind them. It was no good however, as the creature ran straight through them, snapping the Kido ropes easily.

"Rangiku, take Karin!" Izuru said, handing Karin to Rangiku.

"Wait! Izuru, it's no good, we have to get out o here!" Rangiku said urgently, but Izuru paid her warning no mind.

"Momo, seal off its flanks," he said.

"Right!" Momo replied, "Bakudo 70, Ganpeki!"

Giant stones fell from the sky on either side of the creature, creating walls on either side of it.

Izuru raised his hand. "Hado 58, Tenran!"

A huge blast of wind erupted from his hand, spinning like a tornado. It went between the walls of rock Momo had conjured, focusing the force of the spell upon the creature attacking them. For a moment, it seemed to be working. The creature was trapped between the walls, and the focused blast of air had stopped it in its tracks. Then however, the creature began slowly moving forward, its talons digging into the stone beneath its feet as it walked against the immense wind of the Kido spell.

"Hado 31, Shakkaho!" Momo yelled upon realizing that Izuru's spell wasn't stopping it, "Hado 63, Raikoho! Hado 54, Haien! Hado 4, Byakurai!" She tried ever spell she could think of, but nothing seemed to faze the monstrosity in front of them.

"I told you! Nothing we can throw at that thing will stop it! We have to get out of here!" Rangiku yelled, fear evident in her voice.

The reality of the situation sinking in, Izuru stopped the spell and immediately turned to run away with the others, the creature right behind them.

---

"Hya! Take that!" Usagi yelled, launching missiles from his glider at Kenpachi. They impacted with the ground at Kenpachi's feet, creating such a large explosion that Usagi had to fly up to avoid being caught in it. He grinned down at the rising smoke. "So long, 'Ken-chan,'" he chuckled. The smile was soon wiped off his face when Kenpachi leapt out of the smoke, completely unharmed and with his sword poised to strike. Usagi quickly pulled his glider back, but was unable to prevent Kenpachi's sword from clipping the side of it.

Usagi growled as his glider began to smoke and lower to the ground. He pulled out his gun and began firing wildly at Kenpachi as he slowly fell to the ground. The glider stopped its descent just a few feet above the ground. Usagi tried to lift off again, but his machine quickly fell down again.

"You bastard! You damaged my lift stabilizer! Now I can only fly a few feet above the ground! Do you have any idea how long it will take to fix this?!" he said angrily.

"I don't really care, but hopefully it will convince you to start battling me like a man instead of running around and playing tricks," Kenpachi said.

"Oh, I'll show you tricks," Usagi said, pulling a silver orb from within his robes. He threw it at Kenpachi, who easily dodged it but was caught unprepared when holes opened up on the side and it sprayed a grey gooey substance all over him.

"Ha! Not so tough now, are ya?! That's my goop grenade! That stuff you're covered in hardens upon contact with air, turning into what rubber could only dream of being! You'll be stuck there for a while!" Usagi gloated.

Indeed, the substance had quickly become tough and rubbery, practically glueing Kenpachi to the ground he stood on. Usagi grinned, and the next instant he was floating behind Kenpachi, his black rod pointed at his throat.

"This is the end of the road for you," he snickered. Kenpachi grinned back at him.

"That technique you just used… it wouldn't happen to be the same one that you guys have been using to escape whenever one of you is about to get caught, would it?" he asked casually.

"Ha! It most certainly is not the same technique! The idiots I work with could never operate the complex teleportation device that I have developed, so I had to create pre-programmed devices to transport them between predetermined locations! Only I can do so at will!"

"That's interesting," Kenpachi grinned. Before Usagi could respond however, Kenpachi jerked himself forward, breaking himself free of the substance Usagi had trapped him with. He swung his sword, slashing Usagi across the chest, causing him to fall of his glider and onto the ground. Kenpachi stepped over to him, grinning down.

"That was a quick move you pulled, managing to avoid a fatal strike. It looks like you won't be up to fighting anymore though."

Usagi panted as he lay on the ground, glaring up at Kenpachi from behind his dark glasses. "Fu-fuck this, I'm out of here!" he growled, grabbing onto his glider and disappearing.

---

Momo, Izuru, and Rangiku ran, carrying Karin with them. The monstrous thing behind them was in hot pursuit, wielding its long scimitars as it chased them. They had been fleeing for a long time, unable to get away from it. They tried to get to the front lines of the battle in hopes of finding a Captain for assistance, but every time they began running in that direction the beast would cut them off or force them to run in a different direction. It was only trough luck and skill that they had survived this long. They knew perfectly well that none of them were any match for this creature. Every Kido spell they used was easily brushed off. Their situation was getting increasingly desperate.

"Head for the old Central 46 compound!" Momo yelled, "If we can engage the defense mechanisms, we should be able to hold it off until help comes!"

"We'll never get there in time!" Rangiku responded, carrying Karin as she ran.

"Isn't there any way we can fight it?!" Karin asked.

"We're no match for that thing. I've seen what it's capable of. We're talking about something that defeated two Captains in a matter of minutes," Rangiku said, "If we try to engage in combat with it, we're as good as dead."

Before Karin could press Rangiku further, they stopped in their tracks. Straight ahead of them were four of the brown robed warriors that were attacking. Moving quickly, they turned to run down a nearby street, only to find that it too had several of the warriors blocking passage. They had been completely boxed in.

Their stopping allowed the creature pursuing them to catch up. It raised its swords as it lunged at them. Before it could attack however, Momo had swung her zanpakuto's shikai, launching a fireball at it. The ball of fiery energy did no damage to it, but forced it to cease its attack for a moment.

"Momo… you didn't say your Shikai's release command," Izuru said in astonishment, "Does that mean…?"

Momo nodded. "Yes, I didn't want to use it so soon after acquiring it, but it looks like we have no choide."

"Use what?" Karin asked as Momo held her sword out in front of her.

"Please stand back," was Momo's only response before uttering the next word, "Bankai."

A massive burst of flames engulfed Momo, forcing her allies to back away from the intense heat and energy. The flames burned for several seconds before erupting in a massive flash, throwing up smoke. Rangiku, Kira, and Karin could only just make out Momo's figure as the smoke cleared. When she was finally visible, their eyes widened.

A pair of elegant, scarlet-gold wings protruded from her back. Energy surrounded them, and on the palms of Momo's outstretched hands were two smooth, glowing gems. Momo calmly opened her eyes.

"_Kogo-Fushicho Tobiume_," she quietly said.

* * *

Thank you for reading! Thank you to war90, pewternatural, Thunder Claw03, Taeniaea, nexuswarrior, Jumper Prime, Turtle-chan in blue, MegaTank, thedarkscareslittlekids, The Great Pineapple MEKI, oOoHKoOo, Digipal, and Psyco101 for reviewing! Please review!


	34. Chapter 34

A/N: Thank you to The Great Pineapple MEKI, MegaTank, Thunder Claw03, nexuswarrior, war90, Turtle-chan in Blue, Guibin, thedarkscareslittlekids, DigiPal, Ryos, Nathan J Xaxson, Revolation, oOoHKoOo, and Casey for reviewing last chapter. Since many people asked for its definition, Momo's Bankai, Kogo Fushicho Tobiume, translates too "Empress Phoenix Tobiume" though a reviewer pointed out that in Japanese, it more accurately would mean _Crying_ Phoenix Tobiume (Empress Phoenix Tobiume would begin with Kougou rather than Kogo). Either way is fine with me. Also, sorry that this chapter is so short; I intended to make it about twice its current length but I have some important work to do and didn't want to make you wait much longer for the story, so I decided to just post a shorter chapter than originally planned. Read and review!

* * *

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 34_

The brilliant scarlet-gold feathers seemed to glitter in the sunlight as Momo stood in her Bankai state for the first time. For a moment, all was still. Even the monstrosity pursuing them seemed too stunned to move. Then, a scarlet glow began emanating from the wings that now extended from Momo's back, and she clasped her hands together while turning to the enemy.

"Bakudo 63, Sajo Sabaku! Hado 78, Onitatsumaki Kanan! Bakudo 56, Kakusui Sekkan!" she said loudly. Glowing yellow chains appeared and and wrapped tightly around the creature. Before it had a chance to struggle, a massive fire whirl formed around it, the heat so intense that the others had to face away from it. Finally, rocky spires jutted out of the ground, forming the shape of a pyramid of sorts in which the fire still raged around the creature.

Momo panted, causing Izuru to go to help her, but she abruptly put her hand up, indicating that she wanted him to stay where he was.

"You still have your own enemy to face," she said, pointing at the group of warriors that still held their weapons menacingly.

"What about you?" Izuru asked. Momo looked over at the stone pyramid, the fire glowing from within.

"I don't think we've beaten this guy yet. Leave him to me and take those other things," she said.

Rangiku looked at her worriedly. "Are you sure?"

"Don't worry, I can take him," Momo said with a small smile, "Kido has always been my strongest skill. My only weakness was that I didn't have enough reiatsu to use spells at maximum power… but now I do. These wings, somehow they're generating reiatsu for me to use in my Kido spells. I'm not quite sure… just focus on your enemy for now and we'll worry about the details later. Oh, and Karin, could you come over here for a moment?"

Karin nudged Rangiku, reminding her that she didn't need to carry her anymore and could let her down. After getting down, she walked over to Momo. "What is it?"

"Bakudo 26, Hakogarasu," she said. Karin blinked in surprise as she was suddenly surrounded by a clear, glass-like barrier.

"Hey!" she said indignantly.

"Sorry Karin, but things are going to get intense now, and I can't let you get caught up in it," Momo said, looking ahead at the stone pyramid entrapping her enemy, "Rangiku, Izuru, you'd better engage those warriors before they have a chance to take you by surprise."

"Oh, right. Raise your head, Wabisuke!"

"Growl, Haineko!"

Rangiku and Izuru released their Shikai and ran forward to combat the strange warriors. As they did this, a crack formed in the side of the stone pyramid, and moments later the monstrous creature burst out, letting out an angry screech and brandishing its swords menacingly. It charged at Momo, who at that moment flapped her newly acquired wings to lift herself off the ground.

"Hado 31, Shakkaho! Bakudo 62, Hyapporankan!"

A large red ball of energy formed in Momo's hand. A split second later, it elongated into a glowing rod, which Momo threw like a spear at her enemy. It split into more rods as it flew through the air. When they hit the ground, they exploded in an impressive fasion. Momo took a deep breath. It was difficult managing so much more power than she was used to, but it undeniably enhanced her Kido. Her greatest strength was her ability to manipulate reiatsu, which compensated for her comparatively small amount of it. By using her reiatsu skillfully and efficiently, she was able to use her Vice-Captain level reiatsu to perform Captain-level Kido.

Now however it seemed she had gained the power that she had lacked before. These wings of her's were creating new reiatsu at levels far beyond what Momo was used to. She didn't undestand how, but she did know that this was ideal for her, as it meant that she was able to use her expert Kido manipulation on an even larger scale.

She watched as the creature emerged from the smoke and lunged at her. She stretched her wings and flew into the air, pointing her finger at it. "Hado 4, Byakurai!"

A huge blast of lightning emerged from her finger, far stronger than the spell normally was. Instead of the narrow concentrated blast of lightning, it sent large arcs of energy all over the place as it knocked the beast back. Momo quickly looked down worriedly, and was relieved to see that she had not accidentally hurt Karin or the others. She was using much more power than usual, making it difficult to control. She had to be careful, as she was nowhere near mastering control of her Bankai. She would need to use it carefully to ensure that she did not cause excessive damage.

She saw that the creature was getting up again, and this time decided to use a less potent spell. She raised her hand to do a Hado 1 spell, but to her surprise it went off without her even saying a word, throwing the beast back. She had been able to do low-level spells without speaking before, but it always took concentration and never this easily. As she thought about this, she suddenly felt a sharp pain all over her body, and in surprise she let go of her concentration, making her fall from the sky.

Momo just managed to land on her feet, taking a deep breath to steady herself. This power was new to her; it strained her greatly to wield such power. She would have to finish this quickly.

As she was thinking this, she had failed to notice that the beast had come to attack again, only realizing this when she saw it mere meters away with its sword drawn. Cursing herself for losing focus, she instinctively raised her hands defensively, knowing it was too late to do anything.

There was a sudden hot, burning feeling on her hands, followed by a large explosion in front of her that blew the monstrosity away, knocking Momo back a few feet as well. Momo looked down at her hands in shock, realizing that the gems on the palms of her hands were glowing a bright orange. A smile crossed her face as she realized what she could now do.

As the creature got to its feet, Momo raised her hands with palms facing outwards before it could attack. Trying to do the same thing she did with her Shikai, she focused her reiatsu into the gems on her hands.

There was a burning sensation, and then intense yellow beams of light shot from her hands. The creature managed to avoid a direct hit, but when the beam hit the building behind it, there was a massive explosion. Momo winced at the huge blast, looking back to make sure the others were alright, and was again relieved to see that Izuru and Rangiku and nearly finished defeating the warriors and that Karin was still safely behind her barrier. Momo looked down at her hands, seeing that the palms were burned from her own attack. This power was terrifying. She had to be extremely careful. As the creature began to move again, she unleashed another blast of energy. This time however, the creature knew what was coming and quickly ran out of the way, resulting in the attack impacting with another building. The intense heat melted the stone walls and ignited everything flammable within the structure as it collapsed. Momo fired another blast, but again missed, hitting only the ground. The creature was still alive and strong, not at all fazed by the massive explosions. It made a dash for Karin, forcing Momo to release another blast from her hands at the ground in front of the creature.

The blast shook the earth, and large fissures appeared in the stone street. The creature retreated as large chunks of street began falling out from beneath it. Momo was confused for a moment, but then noticed flowing water in the gap beneath the street and remembered the spacious underground sewers beneath Seireitei. Thinking quickly, she unleashed yet another pair of energy blasts on both sides of the street around the creature. The street caved in, taking the beast with it. As it fell, Momo shot one final pair of energy blasts.

Momo didn't see whether the beams hit or not, as the explosion caused the water in the sewers to instantaneously turn to steam, sending clouds of vapor up and obscuring her view. Momo watched tensely, looking for any sign of movement. It seemed for a moment that it had worked, but just as she began to let her guard down there a blurred movement caught her eye, and the next thing she knew the creature was in the air beside her, its swords drawn and prepared to strike. It was too late to release an energy blast, and Momo instinctively used the first technique that came to mind.

"Tenra!" she yelled.

The instant she said this, there was a strange pulse that made time seem to slow down. Then, Momo let out a scream, staring in horror as a tiny ball of distorted space flashed and fizzled out in the place where her left arm had been moments before. She instinctively grabbed at the ragged stump with her other arm, trying to stop the bleeding, only realizing too late that she was still under attack from the beast. With a slash of its scimitar, the creature cut the left wing of Momo's Bankai in two, half of it falling to the ground.

The pain was just as bad as when she had lost her arm, and she was unable to remain airborne. Momo fell to the ground, the creature landing on its feet in the same instance. Before it could make a move however, Rangiku and Izuru appeared in front of her, swords drawn.

"Hang on, Momo," Izuru said.

"Rangiku… Izuru… Run," Momo said weakly, "Take Karin and run."

"We're not leaving you here," Rangiku said.

"You-you can't fight this thing! You'll just get killed too! Please, I'm begging you, run!" Momo gasped, tears streaming down her face both from pain and fear. Neither Rangiku nor Izuru moved, remaining where they were as they faced the beast.

Before they or the creature could make a move however, two new voices broke the silence.

"Bankai! Hihio Zabimaru!"

"Bankai, Fukisarashi Kazeshini!"

Renji Abarai and Shuuhei Hisagi appeared on either side of the creature, their Bankai activated, Renji's in the form of a massive skeletal snake, and Hisagi's in the form of a large scythe with a jagged upper blade and a sharpened bottom end.

"You two get Momo and Karin out of here," Hisagi said.

"We'll take it from here," Renji added, glaring at the monstrous thing.


	35. Chapter 35

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 35_

"Oh-ho! Nicely done, my old friend," Shunsui Kyouraku said, wiping blood from his cheek after a nearly fatal attack from Mansamusa, "You've become quite powerful over the years."

Though covered in crystals, it was obvious that Mansamusa had an amused expression. "Thank you, Captain Kyouraku. You are quite skilled yourself. I wish I could say the same for your friend though." He gestured to Toushiro, who was out cold on top of a nearby building.

"You were lucky to get off a quick strike on him early," Kyouraku said, "Captain Hitsugaya is a genius after all. Had you not taken him by surprise, he would have given you quite a bit of trouble."

"I doubt that," Mansamusa chuckled.

"I mean it. He is a genius after all, just as we were. Perhaps better than we were at his age. In a hundred years, he may well surpass us," Kyouraku said with a smile.

"I find that unlikely. For nearly two thousand years, we have both been considered some of the strongest Shinigami alive. Do you really believe that this boy could surpass us in a mere century?"

"Don't underestimate the latest generation of young Shinigami. I know of many who are very strong and will one day become the leaders of Soul Society. Oh, and by the way…" Kyouraku used Shunpo to appear behind Mansamusa, slashing at him from behind. Mansamusa managed to dodge, but lost a few shards of the crystal covering his body from the strike.

"Trying to catch me off guard by starting idle conversation mid-battle. How like you. I'm surprised I fell for it," Mansamusa said, not even sounding angry. Kyouraku smiled.

"You know me better than most people. I've enjoyed this little chat, but I suppose it's time I became more serious," Kyouraku said.

* * *

Renji and Hisagi faced the creature, their Bankai activated.

"Take Momo and Karin and get out of here," Hisagi said to Rangiku and Izuru, "We'll take care of this guy."

"Wait…" Momo said weakly, clutching her bleeding stump of an arm.

"Save your strength Momo, we'll take it from here," Renji said, "Izuru, stop the bleeding before she loses consciousness."

"Right!" Izuru said, rushing to Momo's side. Momo did not sit still however.

"Listen Renji, Shuuhei: Don't let it engage you in close combat! If you let it get close to you, you're dead!" she gasped urgently.

"Thanks Momo, we'll keep that in mind," Hisagi said, "You ready Renji?"

"Ready."

Together, Renji and Hisagi attacked with their Bankai. Hisagi spun his Bankai and slammed the tip into the ground, sending a massive fissure in the earth straight at the creature. As it leapt out of the way, Renji swung the giant bone-snake down, bringing its skull crashing down upon the enemy. Amidst the dust, they saw it fly into the air, landing atop Renji's Bankai. It began running down the spine of the weapon, only to be knocked off as Hisagi swung his scythe, creating a green arc of energy that knocked it away. It landed on its feet, uninjured and swords still in its hands.

"This guy's tough," Renji said, careful to stay alert.

"We'd best finish this off quickly," Hisagi said, "Let's use _that_."

Renji's eyes widened. "But that was given to you only in cases of absolute emergency!"

"The Captains were instructed to use it at their discretion to protect Seireitei. I think this situation warrants its use," Hisagi said, pausing to release another arc of energy at the creature as it was about to charge.

"Can we even control it? It could destroy us along with the enemy," Renji said anxiously.

"I think I can limit its area of effect with Kazeshini's 'Wind Shaft'. I'll need your help though. Encircle that thing with Zabimaru, and I'll throw it in while using Kazeshini simultaneously. It has a ten second fuse, so you'll need to keep it inside the Wind Shaft with your Bankai. Can you do that?"

"Sure," Renji said, still sounding a bit uncertain, "Here goes nothing…"

Renji raised his Bankai and sent the giant skeletal snake at the creature, circling around it over a wide area. Simultaneously, Hisagi threw a small device inside the circle made by Renji's Bankai, simultaneously raising his own Bankai above his head and spinning it.

"Kazeshini! Wind Shaft!" he yelled. Wind began forming around the perimeter of the encircled area containing the beast, soon becoming a massive tornado of raging wind. Hisagi and Renji backed away, watching as their plan went into action.

"Eight… Seven… Six… Five…" Hisagi counted.

"Four… Three…" Renji joined in. Just as they were about to count down to two, there was a sudden rift in the tornado, and the creature launched itself out.

"No!" Renji yelled. He and Hisagi began moving to defend themselves, their plan apparently a failure, when suddenly an energy blast shot out from behind them, going over their heads and hitting the creature, sending it flying back into the giant tornado. They turned to see Momo breathing heavily while on her knees, her hand outstretched and the palm smoking.

At that moment, the tornado seemed to be set alight, suddenly becoming a raging swirl of intense flames.

"What is that?" Rangiku yelled, shielding her face from the intense heat.

"Flames from the Captain-Commander's Zanpakuto!" Hisagi called back to her over the raging fire, "He gave each of the Captains a small piece of his power when he left, in case of emergencies. There will be nothing left of that creature once those flames are done!"

"Just hope that this technique of yours can contain it!" Renji said, "I don't think Zabimaru can handle it anymore, I'm returning it to normal!" Renji withdrew his Bankai, already severely charred from the intense flames, and reverted it to Shikai.

They watched as the intense flames spiraled in an immense column of fire, Hisagi's tornado keeping the flames confined in a limited area. It raged for minutes, making those watching nervous that Hisagi's technique would not hold. Eventually however, the flames began to die down, and eventually disappeared.

Taking a deep breath, Hisagi released the tornado, panting from the exertion. Still careful to keep their guard up, he and Renji approached the crater left by the attack and peered in. There was no trace of the creature, only a massive hole burned deep into the ground, the incinerating heat barely even leaving ashes.

"We did it!" Renji said excitedly, "We won!"

"It-it's gone?" Rangiku said, relief in her voice.

"Those were Captain-Commander Yamamoto's flames, nothing is even left of that thing!" Hisagi said with a grin, "Now let's hurry and get Momo to a Captain Unohana; she's been injured pretty badly."

As he, Renji, Rangiku, and Izuru went to move her however, something strange happened. The remaining wing from Momo's Bankai began glowing brightly, and slowly disintegrated into dust. The glowing specks of dust swirled in the air for a moment before flying to what was left of Momo's arm. All present watched in astonishment as the dust formed into the shape of an unseverred arm. There was a bright flash of light, and then the glowing dust was gone, leaving behind a new arm in place of the one Momo had lost. At this same Moment, Momo seemed to regain some of her strength, shakily sitting up.

"Momo, are you okay?" Izuru said uncertainly.

"I think so," Momo said, looking at her arm in amazement.

"Amazing," Hisagi said quietly, "Your Bankai completely healed you!"

"I… I guess it did…" Momo said, still seeming a bit dazed.

"Hey, don't forget about me!"

They all turned to look at Karin, realizing that she was still inside of Momo's Kido barrier.

"Sorry!" Momo said, getting to her feet slowly. She raised her hand, and the barrier around Karin disappeared. Karin ran up to the others, and seemed about to speak when they were interrupted by a loud boom in the distance.

"There's still a battle going on," Renji reminded them, "We're needed at the front lines. Izuru, can you get Momo and Karin to safety?"

"Yes, we were planning on seeking refuge in the old Central 46 chambers," Izuru replied.

"Good idea, that's probably the safest place right now," Hisagi said.

"I'll go with you," Rangiku said, "Now that we know they're after Karin, she'll need extra protection."

"No. Rangiku, you're needed in battle. Izuru will be there, and besides, the defenses of the Central 46 bunker will be far more defense than you can offer," Hisagi said, "You offer greater contribution by helping to defeat this invasion than by staying with Karin, do you understand?"

"I suppose so…" Rangiku said reluctantly.

"Rangiku, don't worry, I'll be there too," Momo said, "I'm still a bit weak, but I'll regain my strength soon enough."

"Very well then," Rangiku sighed, "Let's get going."

* * *

Yochito knocked away Ichigo with a kick to the chest, sending him flying backwards. Ichigo was not even fazed by the blow, however, and proceeded to unleash a Getsuga Tensho at Yochito, who released a large number of threads from his sleeves that formed a sort of cocoon around him, protecting himself from the strike.

Ichigo's gaze was sharp as the threads returned. Those threads were clearly Yochito's primary method of attack and defense. He could release a seemingly endless number of them from under his clothes, and they were able to form into nearly any shape. They were strong enough to resist being cut by his Bankai, and able to lift heavy objects. Yochito himself was quite strong as well, able to fight with great agility. Yochito's attacks had so far not harmed Ichigo, but Ichigo was likewise unable to do any real damage to Yochito. Whenever a strike came close, those threads would come out and block him.

He rushed at Yochito, continuing to attack in hope that a weakness would be revealed. Yochito released many threads, which wound themselves into two staff-like objects that he used to block Ichigo's Bankai.

"You realize that this fight is pointless, don't you?" Yochito asked, the corners of his lips turned upwards in a gentle smile, "The real battle has long since moved away from here."

"Perhaps, but if I can defeat you, that's one less enemy for Seireitei, not to mention that it will mean rescuing Senna from you," Ichigo replied.

"I thought I already told you that Senna is with us on her own free will."

"And I say that's a load of crap! Senna is a good person; she wouldn't serve an evil organization without coercion or brainwashing of some sort," Ichigo said, slashing again at Yochito, who ducked to avoid the strike.

"What makes you so certain that we are evil? Do I look like an evil fellow to you?" Yochito said with a smirk.

"You saved my sister, and you seem to truly care about Senna to some extent," Ichigo said slowly, "But there is no doubt that what your allies are planning is evil. I've seen the people hurt by your side, and I know that you're targeting my Uryu. To me, that makes your side evil. Whatever you did to draw Senna into your plot, I intend to undo it."

With that, Ichigo removed one hand from his zanpakuto and spread his fingers.

"Bakasu ichidan futsukayoi konmei; Bakudo 40, Hanashiwosaegiru Shinshoku!" Ichigo thrust out his palm, a ripple spreading from it through the air. For the first time, Yochito seemed genuinely shocked as the rippling air passed over him.

"But… the reports said that you couldn't perform Kido!" he said in confusion.

"I'm training to be a Captain. I couldn't be completely useless at casting Kido spells, so they had Hinamori teach me a bit. I don't care much for Kido, but I know enough to get by," Ichigo replied.

"We'll see about that," Yochito said. He raised his arm as he had before when using his threads to attack, but this time nothing happened. The threads had gone limp, hanging loosely from his sleeve without form. Shock was written all over his face. "What did you do?"

"I figured out the secret behind your attacks," Ichigo said, "Those threads aren't your weapons, they are conductors for your power. You have some sort of mind power, don't you? I should have realized it the moment you brought back my memories of Senna. Your abilities are powerful, but you can only use them against things you are physically touching. Hence, you use those threads to extend your reach. But that takes a lot of concentration, and by using a Kido spell that disrupts the focus of the mind, I disabled those threads."

"I see, so that's what your Kido spell did," Yochito said through gritted teeth, "It was so subtle, I didn't even realize that my control had been disrupted."

Ichigo raised his sword with a grim look on his face, "This is the end. I must now eliminate you as part of my duty to the Gotei 13."

Yochito glared at him. "Go ahead and try! I still have power over whatever I touch, even if I can't transmit it through the threads. This isn't over."

"Yes it is," Ichigo said quietly, "And I'm sure you know that."

Ichigo held his sword out, and rushed at Yochito, who didn't move an inch. He pointed his sword straight forward, ready to stab Yochito and end this battle. When he was just in front of Yochito, he drew the blade back and thrust it forward. At the last moment, however, there was a flash of black, and something came between him and Yochito.

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock and horror. His voice caught in his throat, but he managed to whisper, "S-Senna…"

Senna was impaled on Ichigo's sword, having put herself between him and Yochito at the last moment. Ichigo was too shocked to move as he watched Senna gasping for air as blood flowed from her chest. She barely managed to turn her head a little, so she could see Yochito out of the corner of her eyes.

"Yochito… Thanks for everything. I'm… glad you gave me this second chance…" she whispered before turning her head back to Ichigo, giving him a weak smile, "I'm glad to have been able to see you again, Ichigo. I want you to know, I-"

At that moment, Senna let out a harsh gasp before slumping forward. Both Ichigo and Yochito stared at her in shock. Before either could say anything, something very strange happened. Senna's body suddenly turned into a mass of the type of thread used by Yochito. As Ichigo stared in shock, he realized that his strike had not missed; that the tip of his blade had gone into Yochito's stomach. He slowly withdrew it, Yochito not making a single move, his head lowered.

There was a long moment of silence before Yochito spoke.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I'm sorry Senna, I should never have dragged you into this." Ichigo stared at him, unsure what to say.

"What was your relationship with Senna?" he asked, "How did you meet her?"

"That is a difficult question, but to put it simply, we're both people who should never have existed," Yochito said.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked. Yochito sighed, flinching a little and covering his wound with his hand before speaking again.

"I cannot say for certain how my life began. All I know is that somehow, I existed, despite having never been born nor created nor reincarnated. There was an experiment conducted in Soul Society several centuries ago. Its true purpose eluded me, but they took a volunteer Shinigami to experiment upon. When they began the experiment, that Shinigami was himself, but when it ended, the Shinigami had become me. I am not that Shinigami. I was not created in the process of the experiment. I simply appeared somehow, gifted with extraordinary powers and with no idea what I was. They used me in experiments for a short time, but then Central 46 decided that as someone who by all logic should never have existed, I was an abomination to be destroyed. I fought back, attempting to destroy those who had condemned me. In the end, I failed, and was only able to flee. Thus began my centuries of solitude and loneliness. It seemed to go on forever. As I was beginning to lose hope however, I met Senna. She was also someone who never should have existed, someone who was not born or created, but simply existed. She disappeared soon after I found out about her, but I was able to read the imprint she left upon reality to give her a new body. You probably can't comprehend how it happened, but to get straight to the point, I now had a companion. I wasn't alone anymore, and for the first time, I was truly happy. When an opportunity for revenge against Seireitei presented itself however, I couldn't let it pass. Senna tried to talk me out of it, but I was stubborn, and in the end, she consented to allowing me my revenge on the condition that she would be there with me. I didn't want her to be in danger, but she insisted that wherever we went, we'd be together. And now, thanks to my desire for revenge, I'm alone again."

Ichigo stared at Yochito in a combination of shock, anger, and pity.

"You brought her back… Can't you bring her back again?" he asked.

"I'm afraid not. It was difficult to bring her back into existence the first time, and now I am far too weak. I can't reverse it this time. Senna is gone," Yochito said bitterly.

"Are you… going to fight me to avenge her?" Ichigo asked, guilt seeping into his voice with the knowledge that it was upon his blade that Senna died.

"No," Yochito sighed, "I am the one who allowed her to be put in danger. It was my desire for revenge that made this happen. Besides, I don't think I can battle any longer. Ichigo Kurosaki… I concede this battle to you. I will never again direct aggression towards Seireitei. I should have realized it before, but without Senna, nothing else matters to me." At that moment, Yochito fell to his knees, wincing as he clutched his wound. Ichigo began to rush forward to help, but Yochito put his hand up.

"Please… I'm fine. Goodbye, Ichigo Kurosaki. I'm very sorry for the pain this operation will put you through."

With that, Yochito disappeared with a flash of light, leaving Ichigo to ponder his parting words.

* * *

Mansamusa panted, the crystal covering his body falling off in several places. Shunsui Kyoraku stood before him, swords drawn and bearing only a few minor wounds.

"It's over, my old friend," Kyoraku said, "You've lost this battle, as have your allies. I've just received a message from Seireitei. The invasion force there is being turned back."

At this, Mansamusa grinned and chuckled quietly.

"No, you're wrong. There is no doubt in my mind that the mission in Soul Society has succeeded already. It is you who have lost," Mansamusa said. With that, he lunged at Kyoraku for a strike, but it came to slow, and the next thing he knew, Kyoraku had slashed him across the side. Grunting in pain, he fell to the ground, his crystal armor disintegrating.

Kyoraku sighed as he stared down at him. "So pointless…" he murmured, "What did they hope to accomplish with this?"

* * *

"Send out another squad to reinforce the right flank! We've got them on the run, don't let them regain the advantage!" Rangiku shouted to the Shinigami she commanded. The robed warriors were in the process of being beaten back, the combined effort of the Shinigami too much for them to confront head-on. Most of the other Captains and Vice-Captains were either assisting in battle or directing troops.

"Vice-Captain Matsumoto, there's a bulge in their formation. If we send our forces around the side, we should be able to completely surround half of them," one of her subordinates said.

"Good. Proceed with-" before Rangiku could finish her statement however, a loud noise interrupted her. It sounded like a high pitched horn, and it seemed to be coming from all around them. Both Shinigami and the strange warriors looked into the sky in reaction to it. Then, one after another, the warriors disappeared, seeming to vanish into thin air.

"They… they're gone! We won!" a nearby Shinigami shouted, "We fought them off!"

Soon other Shinigami joined in cheering, but Rangiku was not among them. She stared off into the area where they had been just moments before. Those warriors didn't seem the type to retreat, and their masters didn't seem like the types who would care enough about their lives to call them back. Even if the battle was lost, they still could have inflicted many more casualties. So why did they leave? As she thought about this, a strange feeling came over her, one of dread and nausea.

"Vice-Captain Matsumoto, is something wrong?" One of her subordinates said. It was at that moment that Rangiku's eyes widened, a sudden realization hitting her.

"No!" she whispered in horror.

"Oh, well then- hey, where are you going?" the Shinigami said as Rangiku flash-stepped away as fast as she could.

Time felt blurred as Rangiku made her way to the old Central 46 compound as fast as she could. How could she have been so foolish! She knew she should have remained behind! She hoped and prayed as she got closer and closer to the compound, but her worst fears were confirmed when she arrived to find the outer gate of the Central 46 compound smashed down.

Heart pounding, she ran inside, passing more broken down outer defenses. Walls had been knocked down and heavy metal doors had been ripped off their hinges. Beads of sweat ran down her face as she rushed towards the bunker in the center of the compound where Momo, Izuru, and Karin had taken shelter. Dread washed over her as she saw that the bunker door was ajar, and was greeted with her worst fear upon entering.

Izuru was lying on the floor unconscious and bleeding from a wound that went from his shoulder to his hip. Momo was on the ground with similar wounds, her own zanpakuto speared through her ankle. Karin was nowhere to be seen. Rangiku fell to her knees, teardrops falling from her eyes and landing on an indentation in the wood floor made by large, clawed feet.


	36. Chapter 36

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 36_

"_There, that should just about do it," Izuru said, letting go of the latch to the bunker door, "Nothing should be able to get in here now. We're finally safe."_

"_That's a relief," Momo said wearily, "Are you okay, Karin?"_

"_Yeah, but why were they after me?" Karin asked._

"_I don't know, but for now it's over. Let's take this opportunity to rest ourselves."_

_Momo had just sat down on the floor when a creak echoed throughout the darkened bunker. She immediately stood up, drawing her Zanpakuto alongside Izuru._

"_Momo, what-"_

"_Shh!" Momo hissed, straining her ears. There was absolute silence for a moment. It was eerie, and a frightful sensation came over them. Suddenly, Izuru shouted in panic._

"_Momo, look out!"_

_What happened next occurred so quickly that Karin was unable to see it. Momo roughly grabbed Karin by the arm and threw her back. Karin fell down as she hit the wall, and when she looked up she saw the creature they had fought earlier fall from the ceiling, twin scimitars already drawn for combat. The wood floor broke and splintered as its clawed feet made impact with the ground. Its blades were already coming down upon Momo and Izuru, who were only barely able to block the first strike._

_The tiny dots that served as the being's eyes looked at the two for a moment before suddenly moving faster than the eye could keep up with. In the dark room, Karin could not keep track of what was happening, but she heard the sound of metal hitting metal many times in quick succession. The two Vice-Captains were quickly overpowered. Less than a minute after it began, Momo let out a cry and fell to the ground, a deep wound on her side. Moments later, with no one to help him deflect the creature's blows, Izuru also fell, taking a vertical slash as his zanpakuto was busy blocking the beast's other sword. Momo weakly tried to get up, but the monstrous creature grabbed her zanpakuto with it its clawed foot and speared her through the ankle with it._

_Its enemies thoroughly defeated, the creature turned its attention towards Karin…_

Momo gasped as her eyes flew open. Her heart was beating quickly as she glanced around frantically. She wasn't in the bunker anymore; she was in a bed, surrounded on three sides by curtains. She had bandages over her stomach and lower leg, and she was wearing a light white robe. She saw people walking past, and tried to call out to them, but all she could manage was a weak moan. One of them immediately turned to approach her. As he got closer, she immediately recognized the young male Shinigami as a Fourth Division healer.

"Vice-Captain Hinamori, are you feeling well? Have you just woken up? Is there anything you need?" he asked quickly.

"Where… where am I?" Momo asked wearily, her body feeling heavy.

"You're in the Fourth Division general healing center. There are so many injuries we couldn't put you in your own hospital room, but we set up these curtains around you for privacy," the boy said.

"You're… Hanataro Yamada, right?" Momo asked, her blurry mind recognizing the boy from her past time in the Fourth Division medical center.

"Y-yes, I am! I'm honored that a Vice-Captain would recognize-"

"Let me speak to Captain Unohana," Momo interrupted him. Even with her mind blurry, she knew she had to alert the Captains about what had happened. She didn't know what had occurred after she passed out, but it couldn't be good.

"I'm sorry, but the Captains and Vice-Captains are at a meeting right now. You'll have to wait until- Hey, what are you doing?" Hanataro said in panic as Momo began sitting up and moving as if to get out of bed.

"Have to get to the meeting…" Momo mumbled semi-coherently. She winced, feeling sharp pain in her stomach where she had been cut by her enemies blade, and an even worse pain in her ankle.

"Vice-Captain, you still need to heal! Your wounds aren't life-threatening, but if you push yourself too hard, complications could emerge!" Hanataro said quickly, trying to get her to lay back down, "Vice-Captains Kira and Iba aren't attending due to injuries either, they already know of your situation. You don't have to go!"

"No! I do have to go!" Momo said sharply. As she moved, she became more and more alert. As she regained lucidity, the full implications of what had happened struck her. Both she and Izuru were defeated, which meant that… thing had taken Karin. Dread overcame her at the thought. Was she even alive? Was that creature aiming to kill or capture her? Even if kidnapping was its objective, the fact that she was in a brutal enemy's clutches was of little comfort. She thought of Ichigo and Rangiku. How would they forgive her for losing Karin? She had to get to the meeting so that she could tell the Captains what she knew. Hopefully they would somehow find a way to save Karin.

As she set her feet on the ground and tried to stand, she immediately wobbled, lack of coordination and the wound on her ankle making her unable to stand. Hanataro was somehow able to catch and steady her.

"You're not well enough to go anywhere. Your wounds aside, we've already given you painkillers that have dulled your senses. It's not safe for you to go anywhere right now!" he pleaded.

"Then I order you to help me get there," Momo said, determined to get to the meeting, "Start by getting my robes and badge. I know they keep clothes nearby their owners. Go get them for me so I can go! Quickly!"

"I… I can't… You- you're supposed to be…" Hanataro stuttered as Momo gave him a firm, determined glare that clearly left no room for debate. "Y-Yes Ma'am…" he finally said, running over to fetch her robes. When he came back, he squeaked in surprise as he saw Momo beginning to remove the light robe she currently wore. He quickly threw her robes on the end of the bed and got out, closing a fourth curtain around her for privacy.

"I can't put these on by myself, come in and give me a hand," Momo called, barely managing to shake off her hospital robes thanks to her injuries.

"But… But I'm a… You're not wearing any… Let me find a female healer to-"

"There's no time!" Momo yelled. Every moment that they waited, the danger for Karin increased. She could deal with the pain from her wounds for Karin's sake, so she could certainly deal with being seen without clothes by Hanataro if it meant getting to the meeting faster. Privacy was not a concern for her at this point.

After a moment of hesitation, Hanataro came into the room, his gaze averted and his face bright red. He clumsily helped Momo put her robes on, though it was still much more efficient than if she tried to do it herself. Tying her Vice-Captain's badge to her shoulder, she shakily stood, ignoring the pain.

"Now come on, we need to get to the meeting as quickly as possible!" Momo said, praying that Karin was alright.

* * *

Karin awoke in a dark and damp stone room. Her body was numb from a drug they had injected her with after being captured. She tried to remember how she had gotten here, but everything that happened after being drugged was a blur to her. She shiverred, not just from cold, but from fear. She was in the hands of the enemy, completely at their mercy. What did they plan to do with her? Was it an attempt by somebody to use her against Ichigo? She knew that he had made some enemies, and at the very least would be a strategic target, but if they had the force to invade Seireitei, couldn't they have gotten to him without using her as a hostage? Perhaps Ichigo had nothing to do with this. But if that was the case, what did they want with her? What use could she possibly be to them?

Karin shivered again, though this time it really was from cold. She could barely see anything, but knew that she was in a stone enclosure, probably underground, judging by all of the moisture. She felt around, and came across a set of heavy iron bars. Her heart fluttered; this might be an opportunity. She stepped back a few feet, facing in the direction that she felt the bars from.

"Hado 33, Sokatsui!" she whispered. Nothing happened. It was then that Karin realized that there was a thin collar around her neck. She felt it, and recalled being told of items used to seal an individual's reiatsu. She growled to herself. There was no way she'd be able to escape this place.

The more she thought about it, the more hopeless it seemed. Even if she were somehow able to escape this cell, she'd never be able to fight her way past the enemies, and if she were able to sneak by, then what? She had no idea where she was, nor did she have any clue how to get back to Seireitei. She didn't even know if she was still in Soul Society. In frustration, she kicked the iron bars enclosing her. This was a mistake, as the bars were very heavy, Karin had a very strong kick, and her feet were uncovered.

Karin gave a yelp of pain, falling to the ground clutching her foot. The sharp pain made a few tears come to her eyes, which she promptly wiped away. The wet feeling of tears on her face made Karin's composure and attempts at rationality slip, however. More tears began to come soon after, and she hastily wiped them away, only for more to take their place as the gravity of her situation hit her with full force. She was alone now. She might never see her brother or friends again. She tried to stop the tears, but it was no use. She hated crying, it made her feel so weak and helpless. Of course, "weak and helpless" described her situation perfectly. She was alone in the enemy's captivity, unsure of what would happen to her. The faces of Ichigo, Yuzu, her father, Momo, Toushiro, and Rangiku flashed through her mind, and the fact that she might not see any of them again made it even more difficult to stop crying. She told herself to stop, to get a hold of herself, but it was no use. She cried until she was too tired to continue, at which point she collapsed onto the floor, stress making her feel pinned down and unable to move.

* * *

"What do you mean you won't send out search parties?" Ichigo yelled in anger.

"Our losses are too heavy to risk it," Yamamoto said from his large chair in the First Division meeting hall, "We cannot put more Shinigami in danger at this time."

"But we need to act fast!" Ichigo said urgently, "We need to get to Karin before something happens to her!"

"Are you suggesting we risk the lives of more Shinigami for the sake of a single individual? Put your personal feelings aside for a moment. Before we even consider the possibility of a rescue, we need to reorganize our forces and prepare ourselves for the possibility of another attack."

"But they were targeting her specifically! That means they have something planned for her. You can't ignore the fact that she clearly has a lot of value to them, and if we let them keep her it could make the situation worse for us," Ichigo said, glancing around at the assembled Captains and Vice-Captains to see if his rather shaky logic had convinced anyone.

"We… need to know more about them," Ukitake said, "We don't know where your sister has been taken, or what their motives for taking her are. If they were targeting Karin Kurosaki, the fact that she was kidnapped instead of killed means that she is likely still alive. We still have time to make a decision, and we should use it well rather than rushing into a dangerous situation."

"Before we even go that far, we must determine the enemy's identity," Komamura said, "We have no clue who they are or where they came from, so how can we confront them."

At this, Ukitake, Unohana, and Kyroraku shared a knowing glance, while Yamamoto looked down for a moment before giving a heavy sigh.

"Actually, we do know who they are. What's more, I know exactly where they are operating from," Yamamoto said.

"What? You knew? Why didn't you say something?" Ichigo yelled.

"Calm yourself!" Yamamoto roughly barked, his voice rising, "I did not tell you at the outset of this meeting because I knew you would react this way. Yes, it's true, I do know their identity and where they are. That was why I was absent during the attack. I assure you that I would not have left had the information I was confirming not been of the greatest value."

"So who exactly is it that we are up against?" Hisagi asked. Yamamoto sighed.

"None of you will know of this event. It happened a very long time ago, and is something of a tabboo subject among Soul Society historians," he said, "When I heard about the earlier encounters with this new enemy, I began to become suspicious, and the information I have now uncovered has confirmed those suspicions. There is no doubt that the organization we are dealing with is the actual 'Fourth Rising.'"

"What exactly is the 'Fourth Rising'?" Byakuya asked, his calm voice betraying a bit of curiosity, "The Kuchiki family has recorded major events as long as it has existed, and there is nothing about a 'Fourth Rising' or anything like it in the records I've read."

"That is not surprising. The events that would grant you knowledge of this group occurred long before the Kuchiki family existed. Its roots began even before I became Captain-Commander," Yamamoto said, "It was a dark time in our history, and I had hoped to not have to bring it up, but now that we know with certainty who it is we're up against, I will have to tell you…"

* * *

Karin did not know how long she had stayed still on the ground, staring blankly into the darkness. It felt like hours, but could have been days for all she knew. The lack of daylight made it impossible to know with certainty. She had tried to think of a way she could get out of here, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't come up with no way of escape. The situation truly seemed hopeless.

_A situation is never completely hopeless,_ a voice said in her head. Karin immediately sat up, quickly glancing around.

"Denryu? Is that you?" she whispered.

_Yes,_ the voice of her Zanpakuto said.

"But they took you away while I was unconscious! Where are you?"

_I do not know. Though we were separated, do not forget that I am a part of your soul. We can nevery be completely cut off from each other. That said, I will be unable to communicate with you for long. It takes considerable strain to make contact with you from such a distance._

"Denryu, what should I do? There's no way out of here, and I don't even know where 'here' is!" Karin said in distress.

_Calm yourself. Remember what you have learned in your training. They have sealed your reiatsu, but you can still practice your meditative techniques. Even while trapped, you can still hone your skills. I sense that you will need them soon._

"What do you mean?" Karin asked. Denryu paused a moment before speaking again.

_Somebody is coming. Do not attack right away. Wait for the right moment. Until that time comes, do not cooperate with them, and more importantly, do not give up hope…_

"Denryu, wait!" Karin said, but she received no reply. Once again, she was alone.

That would not last long however. True to Denryu's prediction, she soon heard the footsteps of someone approaching. She tensed up as dim green lights appeared just outside of her cell, giving her the first real look at the area she was trapped in. She did not have long to dwell on this however, as a soft, high pitched giggle began echoing through the underground chamber.

"So, what do you think of your accomodations?" a voice asked mockingly. Moments later, a blond haired man appeared, wearing a long jacket that went down to his ankles and dark glasses despite the dim lighting. Two of the short, troll-like beings stood just behind him.

"You're… Usagi Uzaki," Karin said, recognizing the man. Usagi laughed and clapped his hands together.

"Very good! You remembered me! How nice. I just came to check if you regained consciousness. Now that you have, I suppose we can begin…"

"Why did you take me here?" Karin asked. Usagi gave a sharp laugh, causing Karin to flinch.

"I'm afraid that I can't tell you that. In due time, you will learn your importance. Suffice to say, you are vital to my research. We'll be working with each other quite a bit from now on, so go ahead and make yourself comfortable for the time being. After all, the things I have planned for you are decidedly _not_ comfortable."

Usagi let out a shriek of laughter again, causing Karin to back away from him until she was pressed up against the stone wall.


	37. Chapter 37

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 37_

"If you thought you knew who it was we were dealing with, why didn't you tell us earlier?" Ichigo said in frustration, "If we had the knowledge beforehand, this might not have happened!"

"Kurosaki!" Kyoraku said rather harshly. All eyes turned to him, many rather surprised at the outburst, at which point he cleared his throat and spoke in a much calmer voice, "Kurosaki, please calm yourself. Do not forget that you are speaking to the Captain-Commander. Trust me when I say that once you have heard the truth, you will understand."

Ichigo stared at him for a moment, still rather shocked at the laid back Captain's serious tone. He slowly nodded, deciding it would be best to hear the old man out.

"Very well then," Captain-Commander Yamamoto rumbled, "If there will be no more interruptions, I will tell you the roots of our current crisis…"

At that moment, the tall doors at the entrance of the meeting hall swung open, and two figures slowly walked in.

"Vice-Captain Momo Hinamori, reporting for the scheduled meeting!" Momo said, her voice strained as she leaned on Hanataro for support. Toushiro immediately rushed over to her, breaking from the ranks of the other Captains.

"Momo, what are you doing here?" he asked, allowing her to put an arm around his shoulder so she could lean on him.

"There-there's a meeting…" Momo said weakly.

"You're still too injured Momo," Toushiro said, "You have to go back to the Fourth Division. You should never have come here in your condition, and they shouldn't have let you." As he said this, Toushiro shot a glare at Hanataro, who backed away nervously.

"I… I have to testify about what happened in the bunker…" Momo said feebly.

"Vice-Captain Kira has already woken up and told us from bed about what happened. Matsumoto was there in the immediate aftermath as well. Your testimony can wait; right now you need to focus on healing," Toushiro said before turning to the other Captains, "I request permission to escort Vice-Captain Hinamori to the medical ward."

"It's just as well to let her stay, she'll need to hear this information as well," Yamamoto said.

"But-" Toushiro began to protest, only to be cut off by a stern look from Yamamoto.

"The Shinigami from the Fourth Division may leave now, but Vice-Captain Hinamori has a right to hear this as much as anyone else present."

"Y-Yes sir!" Hanataro said, quickly scurrying out and closing the doors behind him.

Toushiro reluctantly led Momo back to where he had been standing, continuing to support her so that she did not have to put weight on her injured ankle. They along with all the other Captains and Vice-Captains looked to Yamamoto as he began to speak.

"This began long before the majority of you were even born," he said, "Before I became Captain-Commander, and before the Gotei 13 as you know it even existed. In those times, individuals with Captain and Vice-Captain level powers were significantly more common. There were dozens of Shinigami who were more powerful than most individuals in this room. As a result, the rank of "Captain" had much less meaning. There was still a single Captain-Commander, but there were multiple Captains and Vice-Captains within each division, as is the case today with lower seats. Their individual power over divisions was thus greatly diluted. To compensate for this, power was centralized within the Central 46. They did not just turn out rulings on severe matters; they ruled both military and civilian life within Soul Society on a day to day basis. It resulted in a very cohesive Gotei 13, but their many rules and solid grip on power made one Captain desire changes. That Captain's name was Aurion."

"Aurion?" Hisagi suddenly shouted, causing the others to stare at him in surprise.

"Have you heard this name before?" Yamamoto asked.

"Erm, yes, sorry for shouting," Hisagi said, "When I was a kid, I heard old stories told about a monster called Aurion that ravaged the land. When I heard you say the name, I immediately thought of it."

"Yes, the taboo on discussion of the subject only extends as far as Seireitei has jurisdiction, and thus the story morphed into legends and fairy tales in the outer districts," Yamamoto said thoughtfully, "Moving on, Aurion wanted to reform the way Seireitei was run. He wasn't alone. Many others were unhappy with the total grip on power that Central 46 had on everyday life. But Aurion was the only one with enough status to be immune from repercussions. He was not only a Captain, but a member of one of the families who held positions in the Central 46. Thus, he was able to condemn them without being silenced. He quickly gained followers, and held sway over many other Captains. He had many good points. Central 46 in those days was overbearing, and corruption was rather common. As you all know, the Central 46 of recent times was powerful, having absolute final say over all legal matters in Soul Society, but that was nothing compared to what it was then. Central 46 ran Soul Society as an authoritarian state, and needless to say, it created many dissidents. Aurion had a plan in which Central 46 was weakened and the power of Captains strengthened, while simultaneously creating multiple settlements like Seireitei, each with their own Shinigami military, so that no single institution had complete control of the afterlife. He also advocated using the wealth of the elite families to improve quality of living for those in Rukongai. Needless to say, this made him extremely unpopular among Central 46 and the Noble families, and they soon came down on him."

"Wait, so all of this is happening now because Soul Society screwed this guy over thousands of years ago? Why couldn't they have just compromised with him instead of trying to force him into silence? Was his speaking out against their power really so evil that they needed to take him out? If they hadn't done that, none of this would be happening!" Ichigo said.

"Are you sympathizing with the people who took your sister?" Byakuya asked calmly.

"Of course not!" Ichigo said, "But I'm able to recognize that it's the fault of the rulers back then that this is happening now!"

"Listen to the rest of the story, Ichigo Kurosaki," Yamamoto said, "It is true that many of those ruling Soul Society at the time did a great injustice by trying to silence him, but Aurion soon proved himself capable of far greater atrocities."

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked.

"After an attempt was made to arrest him, Aurion took his followers and waged open rebellion on Soul Society," Yamamoto explained, "To compensate for the inferior numbers of his forces, he created chaos within Soul Society before the battle began. He used his powers to trigger a volcanic eruption in the Living World so powerful that it wiped out an entire civilization."

"He was powerful enough to cause a volcano to erupt? Is that even possible?" Toushiro said in shock.

"Indeed," Yamamoto replied, looking over the startled Captains, "Aurion was probably as powerful as I was at the time. He was even under consideration for the position of Captain-Commander before he began to clash with Central 46. Making a volcano erupt was easily within the scope of his powers. The huge influx of dead human souls caused chaos as Shinigami tried to manage them before they could be preyed upon by hollows or become hollows themselves. Aurion and his followers then engaged the rest of the Gotei 13 in a brutal battle. He even went as far as to use bait to attract hollows for further chaos. Many were killed, including entire families of powerful Shinigami. Much of Soul Society was destroyed, and the spiritual fabric of this realm was so greatly damaged that powerful Shinigami became much rarer. By the end of the war, Aurion's "Rising", two-thirds of all Shinigami, half of the Captains, and a fifth of all Rukongai residents were dead."

"That's unbelievable…" Isane Kotetsu said in shock from behind Unohana. She was not alone. Several Captains and Vice-Captains were either whispering or staring at Yamamoto with disbelief.

"As horrible as it sounds to you, the words I use pale in comparison to the real thing," Yamamoto said, "Most of you could ever understand how desperate the situation was, and I hope you never do. Captain Ukitake, Captain Kyoraku, and Captain Unohana were in their youth at the time, and I'm sure they would agree with me that words cannot begin to describe the horrors of that war."

"How could such a major event be covered up?" Ichigo asked, "How could people just forget it?"

"That is obvious," Byakuya said, "If such a major conflict occurred, there is no doubt that it made the Shinigami look weak and unable to defend Soul Society. Furthermore, Central 46 would likely be blamed for provoking the conflict. Having the events remain common knowledge for generations would undermine the authority of Shinigami and Central 46. As for how people forgot about it, I imagine that every person involved was all too eager to forget about it. Generation after generation, the memories lessened, until all the knowledge that remained was among those who personally experienced it."

"That is correct, Captain Kuchiki," Yamamoto said, "After the war, Central 46 ensured that it was taboo to discuss the topic while Seireitei rebuilt. They were well aware of their role in the conflict, and abdicated much of their authority. They were no longer involved in micromanaging the day to day activities of Seireitei or giving direct orders. They stood back so as to be less oppressive. They still held great power, but they wielded it much more carefully after that. In order to function, Soul Society needed Central 46, and they couldn't take any risks. Thus, the authority of Captains was increased while that of Central 46 was decreased. It was hoped that future conflict would be averted thanks to this."

"Wait a minute, isn't this group we're facing now calling themselves the 'Fourth Rising'," Ichigo asked, "Doesn't that mean that there was a continuation to Aurion's war?"

"Indeed," Yamamoto said, "Several hundred years later, one of Aurion's younger followers who managed to escape punishment in the First Rising, Mansamusa, managed to revive many of Aurion's ideals and launched a Second Rising, this time without provocation. He was a capable Captain, and managed to cause significant damage before being suppressed and exiled to the Living World. In the millennia since, there have been several scattered skirmishes claiming to be ideological heirs to the original Risings, but they are generally collectively referred to as simply 'Third Rising'. This 'Fourth Rising' would likely be grouped together with them as well, had its leaders not been exposed."

"What do you mean?" Komamura asked.

"As Kurosaki, Captain Kyoraku, and Captain Hitsugaya saw with their own eyes, Mansamusa was until recently alive, and a leader of this current movement. Though Captain Kyoraku was able to defeat him, he learned much troubling information during their battle. To begin with, Mansamusa should not have been able to fight at all, as his powers had been stripped away when he was exiled. Also, it appeared that Mansamusa was under the authority of someone else, and there is only one person whom Mansamusa would be subservient to: Aurion."

"But sir, Aurion was executed just after the First Rising!" Ukitake objected.

"I battled Mansamusa after he should have lost his powers," Kyoraku said, "It would not surprise me to learn that Aurion somehow survived all these years."

"But what do they want with Karin?" Ichigo asked, angry that the explanation yielded no clues about his sister's abduction.

"We don't know," Yamamoto said, "Captain Soi Fon is nearly recovered, and has begun to examine evidence and form investigation teams. We must learn more about our enemy's capabilities before making a move against them. Until then we can only fortify Seireitei and prepare ourselves for any future battles that may take place."

"That's not good enough!" Ichigo yelled, "Didn't you leave Soul Society on an investigation? You said that what you learned helped to confirm the identity of who we're dealing with, right? You said you even knew where they were! So what's stopping you from ordering an attack on their compound to defeat them and save Karin?"

"I know the general location of where it was. The problem is that a powerful barrier has been built around it, essentially making it inaccessible. It isn't just a protective wall; it's as if the barrier is halfway through dimensions. You could walk straight through the area where you know their base is located and never see or feel a thing. A Kido Corps squad has already been dispatched to the area I pinpointed as the location, but it's possible that the barrier spontaneously moves the base from one location to another."

"Can't you do anything?" Ichigo said angrily, "If we just leave Karin in their hands, she'll end up-"

"Kurosaki!" Toushiro said loudly, prompting Ichigo to turn to face him.

"What?" Ichigo said in a strained voice.

"Karin isn't weak," Toushiro said, "Even if her powers are not fully developed, she has a strong personality and a powerful will. It won't be easy, but she'll be able to take care of herself until we're able to help."

"She's just a little girl! You saw what those guys are capable of! There's no way-"

"Ichigo, he's right, you must have faith in Karin," Momo said as she leaned against Toushiro, "In the time I've been training her, Karin has amazed me time after time with her fast development and determination. You have to trust her in her ability to survive."

* * *

"So, how about we begin," Usagi chuckled, pacing in front of Karin as she sat in a chair, bound with chains and shackles. She glared at him, but otherwise did not make any expressions or give any signs of distress. She knew that if she were to survive, she had to maintain her composure.

"I'll start by asking you a few questions about yourself," Usagi said as he walked around the room, empty aside from Karin and himself. Whenever he turned his back to her, Karin's eyes would dart around, looking for a means of escape.

"First question: What is your Zanpakuto's name?" Usagi asked.

"I don't know, I haven't learned it yet," Karin lied. Usagi's lips curved upwards, but he did not challenge her answer.

"What is your inner world like?" he asked.

"It's a meadow filled with flowers," Karin lied again. She wasn't about to reveal any information to the enemy.

"What does your reiatsu feel like to you?" Usagi asked.

"It doesn't feel like anything," Karin responded, looking up at Usagi with defiance.

"In your life as a human, when did you begin developing spiritual power?"

"Never, I only gained powers in the afterlife."

"When exactly did you die?"

"I didn't pay attention to the date."

"How did you die?"

"I got hit by a car."

Usagi was pacing around the room much faster now, giggling to himself in a way that made Karin extremely uncomfortable.

"I see… so you've decided to be noncompliant then?" he asked her, his soft, feminine voice sending shivers down Karin's spine.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about. I answered all of your questions," Karin said. This only made Usagi laugh.

"You naïve little girl. Do you believe you can fool me? Every question I asked you, I knew the answer to from the beginning. You can't hide such things from me; I can see whatever I want. You can lie about the nature of your reiatsu; I can already feel its exact texture and intensity. You can lie about when you died; I can tell exactly how old the spirit particles composing your body are, which lets me know exactly how long you've been dead. To my eyes, your Zanpakuto and inner world are like a goldfish in its fishbowl: completely visible to me. If you try to lie to me in general, I'll know. If you were to somehow make a run for it, I'd know beforehand because I can see every flex and tensing of your muscles. If you were to try to dress up in robes covering your face, it would not fool me, as I would immediately know it was you. If you tried to sneak in a weapon with the intention of attacking me, I'd know for I can see past your clothes to anything you possess beneath them. You could put yourself in a block of cement and I'd find you. Do you get it? There is nothing you can hide from me, so you'd might as well cooperate."

"I… I was telling the truth," Karin said, faltering as Usagi's increasingly aggressive speech began to unnerve her.

"Do you not understand your situation? If you don't cooperate, you'll die!" Usagi said with a menacing grin.

"If that's how it is, I'm prepared for it," Karin said, closing her eyes so that they would not betray the fact that she did not feel nearly as brave as her words indicated.

"It won't hurt you at all to cooperate," Usagi said softly, moving closer to her and extending a hand so that his fingers touched her forehead, "All you have to do is _let_ _me_ _in_."

Karin felt a sudden rush of air, as if she had been suddenly propelled a great distance. Everything went black, and a loud howling noise echoed around her. The next thing she knew, Karin was not there. She wasn't somewhere else, she simply wasn't _there_. Her body was gone; she could neither see nor feel it. But… she had to be there somehow; otherwise she wouldn't be able to think! Karin's mind began feeling warm and fuzzy, as if she were reduced to her most basic self, beyond a physical presence.

Karin then began to see things despite her lack of eyes (or any other body parts). She 'saw' rocky cliffs, rough waters full of whitecapped waves, and a great wooden ship. She immediately recognized them as part of her inner world. She saw all of these at once, as if she was present at all locations, viewing each place from every possible angle. It was then that it dawned on her: she was not _in_ her inner world; she had somehow _become_ her inner world. Even amidst the confusion of what was happening Karin marveled at the amazing feeling of _being_ her own inner world. She could not only see the entire place; she could feel it. The waves that crashed against the shore, the sailing ship run aground in the shallows of the shallow bay, the high cliffs, the clouds above that threatened to bring down a rainstorm… they were all _her_, as if they were just an extension of her body.

The euphoric feeling was short-lived, as she felt a sudden presence, as if some sort of wrongness were approaching. It felt cold and slimy, completely surrounding her and trying to envelope her. She pushed back, refusing to allow it control over her. She didn't know how she was doing it, or why she felt the need to fight against this foreign presence with every ounce of energy, but she didn't stop fighting for a moment.

After what felt like an eternity, the presence abruptly vanished, and Karin found herself in her normal body. She was breathing quickly, with beads of sweat on her face. Usagi withdrew his hand, frowning at her.

"I see your will is strong," he said quietly, "But you should know: my will is stronger. I always get what I want, and you are no exception. If you will not let me into your soul voluntarily, I shall utterly destroy your will to resist. I give you my absolute assurance: I will break you."


	38. Chapter 38

A/N: Thank you to War90, Turtle-chan in Blue, The Great Pineapple MEKI, pewternatural, serenity095, and DigiPal for reviewing last chapter! I'm getting my wisdom teeth out tomorrow, so I'm not sure how soon I'll be able to put out the next chapter, but hopefully I'll recover quickly, so please be patient. Read and review, please!

* * *

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 38_

"Momo, try not to be so tense," Isane Kotetsu said, "It will make healing you more difficult."

"Sorry," Momo said. She was lying in bed at the Fourth Division medical ward. The wound across her stomach had almost entirely healed, but her ankle was still in poor condition. She could walk on it now, but it hurt a lot.

Rangiku watched her while she was being healed, not saying much. As Isane held her hand over her ankle using healing Kido, Momo was reading a book, trying to distract herself from recent memories. Her attempts were failing.

Momo let out a groan and shifted in place, causing Rangiku and Isane to look at her with concern.

"Be careful not to move too much; healing such a sensitive place is difficult. There are several separate muscles and bones around the ankle joint that need to be healed with utmost caution. If they healed in the wrong way, it could impair your ability to walk properly," Isane warned.

"Sorry," Momo said again, sighing and closing her book.

Rangiku looked at her sadly. "Are you okay?"

Momo put on an unconvincing smile. "Oh yeah; I'm fine Rangiku, don't worry about me!"

Rangiku sighed and put a hand on Momo's arm. "It's not your fault, you know," she said quietly. Momo looked up at her and was about to respond, when they both suddenly realized there was somebody else there.

"How's your ankle?" Toushiro asked. All three female Shinigami let out startled cries at his sudden appearance.

"Captain! What have I told you about sneaking up on people?" Matsumoto said.

Toushiro rolled his eyes. "I didn't sneak up, you just weren't paying attention."

"What are you doing here, Toushiro?" Momo asked.

"I just wanted to talk to you; to see how you were doing," Toushiro said, "Matsumoto, Vice-Captain Kotetsu, could you two excuse us for a minute?"

"Well… I suppose I could finish this treatment session later…" Isane reluctantly said.

"If that's what you want, Captain," Matsumoto shrugged. The two female Vice-Captains left, leaving Momo and Toushiro by themselves. Momo and Toushiro spent a few long moments looking at each other before either of them spoke.

"Congratulations on achieving Bankai," Toushiro finally said.

Momo glanced away in shame. "I don't deserve your congratulations," she said sadly, "Bankai wasn't enough to save Karin." Toushiro seemed unsure what to say to this.

"I, erm, heard about its abilities from Matsumoto. They're really unique, and fit you well. Most people's Bankai expand their reiatsu to create an effect, but yours creates a large amount of reiatsu for you to use as you please. It's perfect for someone with your mastery of Kido and reiatsu control," he said, awkwardly trying to compliment her. Upon seeing that she didn't change her expression, he sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Listen Momo, I know how you feel. This was a devastating loss for all of us. But you have to realize, none of us blame you for it," he said insistently. Momo closed her eyes and sighed before turning to look at Toushiro.

"What do you mean by 'a devastating loss'? You said before that you believed in Karin's ability to survive. Did you really mean those words?" she asked.

"Of course I do! Karin is my friend too!" Toushiro said defensively.

"Then why do you sound like it's already over?" Momo asked.

"I… I don't think it's over. It's just… I recognize that it's going to be an uphill battle. We're at a disadvantage, and it will take time before we're able to make an effective counterstrike. But don't worry; Matsumoto, Ichigo, and I are all determined to save Karin. I know you feel the same way. I haven't given up yet, and I promise that I won't any time soon," Toushiro said, "Furthermore, despite the way you're acting, I don't think you've given up either."

"You're right. I'm just… scared. Scared of what will happen to her. She's almost as much my little sister as she is Ichigo's. I feel like she's family to me. She's not just my apprentice, she's my friend! I believe in her, I really do, but I can't help but be afraid for her," Momo said.

"I know. I feel the same way. I'm sure Matsumoto and Ichigo do too. But we can't focus on that now. We need to concentrate our energy on readying ourselves for the next battle, because only then will we actually be able to do her any good," Toushiro said.

"I guess you're right…" Momo said quietly.

They were silent for a few minutes before Toushiro spoke. "I have to go. They managed to capture a single enemy warrior alive, and we're trying to interrogate him." Momo looked up in surprise.

"They managed to capture one? I heard that they either retreated or killed themselves before they could be captured," she said.

"Apparently the Onmitsukido were holding him for a while before informing the Gotei 13. A few of the other Captains are rather mad about it, but at least we have a direct link to the enemy," Toushiro said.

"Can… Can I see the prisoner?" Momo asked, her voice sounding anxious.

"Sorry, but I don't think so. They're still doing a lot of work on him. He doesn't speak any language we're familiar with, so we're trying to figure out a way to get over that hurdle. We did find some major clues from the equipment he was carrying, but they want to be able to interrogate him properly. With luck, you'll be able to see him in a day or two after you're fully healed, which is just as well since I don't want you walking around while you're injured like that."

"Oh… Okay…" Momo said.

"Don't worry Momo, we'll figure something out," Toushiro said, giving her a small smile before turning to leave.

"Wait, Toushiro!" Momo said before he could leave. He turned to face her again.

"Yeah?"

Momo gulped. "If… If anything else comes up, could you tell me?"

Toushiro hesitated for only a moment before nodding. "I'll inform you of any new developments in the investigation."

* * *

Karin tried to stifle a cry of pain, a strangled whimper escaping her lips. Tears of pain made her vision blurry as she blankly stared at the inside of the black hood that had been forced over her head. Her arms had been bound and pulled behind her, then tied to a rope from which she was now suspended. The pain was unlike anything else she had ever experienced. It was as if she were being torn apart. The tendons and ligaments in her arm were being torn by the force of her own weight. In her delirious state, she recalled a bully in her youth twisting her arm behind her back. This was a thousand times worse. She felt as if her arms would be dislocated from her shoulders at any moment.

"So, do you feel like cooperating now?" the sickening voice of Usagi said.

Karin could barely speak from pain and disorientation, but managed to whisper "No."

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that? I couldn't quite hear you," Usagi sniggered.

"I… said… no…" Karin managed to say through clenched teeth. Even subjected to such horrible pain, she refused to give in.

"That so?" Usagi said. He then took hold of Karin's ankle and gave a swift tug, causing her to scream at the strain this added. He laughed at her and without her realizing it cutting Karin loose from the rope suspending her. She groaned as she hit the ground, her arms and shoulders throbbing in pain. She couldn't stand, as her legs had been injected with a drug that paralyzed them. She could only lie on the ground in pain.

"Does it hurt? Does the pain make you want to give in?" Usagi quietly asked, "Does the thought of more pain fill you with dread? You must know that I have methods of inducing even greater agony."

Karin mumbled something incoherent through the hood, causing Usagi to chuckle and pull it off. "Care to say that again?"

"I… I said that I'm never going to give in to you!" she said defiantly. The sudden removal of the hood that had covered her head for hours made her even more disoriented, her still painful arms adding to the effect. Despite this, her resolve to resist was as strong and clear as ever.

"That's a bad attitude. If you don't cooperate, I'll have to force your soul open, and that runs the risk of destroying your mind," Usagi said.

"If you could do that, you'd have done it already," Karin retorted. Usagi let out a particularly harsh laugh at this before abruptly stopping and changing his tone to a dead serious one.

"I want the quality of my prize to be intact, and your stubborn resistance would present the risk of damage to it if I attempted to forcibly retrieve it. It would be best to retrieve it once your mind is either resigned to it happening or so utterly broken that it cannot resist. If worst comes to worst, I'll accept a damaged prize and break your mind in the process, so there's really no point in you continuing to resist. I'll have what I desire from your soul in the end, so why not resign yourself to this and stop resistance? If you don't, you will suffer a fate far worse than death."

"What do you want from me? What's in my soul that's so valuable?" Karin asked, pushing away the nauseous feeling in her stomach, a result of the sudden restoration of sight and the feeling of being on ground after hours of sensory deprivation while hanging by her arms.

"Your feeble mind could not hope to comprehend," Usagi scoffed.

"Try me," Karin said, making it sound like a dare. Usagi shrieked with laughter.

"How bold! You are made of tough stuff to be able to take that attitude after what I've just put you through, I'll give you that," he smirked, "Very well, I'll tell you the importance of your soul in my plans. I suppose to truly give you a bit of an introduction. I am a 'gadgeteer' as I like to refer to myself. The teleportation devices, the technique for the barrier surrounding this fortress, my own weapons, they're all my work. None even approach my level of genius when it comes to building such things! But all these devices require a special sort of power. Soul Society has come up with all sorts of ways to power their devices, but I alone have determined the most effective source of power: living souls."

"Souls? You mean… When you were after Uryu…"

"Ah, so you've figured it out already! Very impressive! That's right, I had plans to use the Quincy as a source of power. I have several Quincy in my possession right now, but they are presently on the verge of death. I needed a new power source, especially since my clients have some big plans to be pulled off soon. Hence, I set my sights upon Uryu Ishida, the only confirmed Quincy in existence! At least, until I found you…"

"Why me? What good am I to you?" Karin asked.

"Let me put it this way. To me, souls are a source of power. Now, an ordinary Shinigami soul is like a lump of coal: you burn it up for energy and it's gone. A Quincy on the other hand can be harvested for energy over a long period of time, sort of like an oil well. You can suck up energy from them until they're dry. You on the other hand are something special. You're like… nuclear fission."

"You're making even less sense than before," Karin said.

Usagi laughed off her insult. "Think back! Back to when you died and were sent to Soul Society! What happened to you?"

"I… I was sent to Soul Society by… Toushiro," Karin said hesitantly.

"But why him? Why not your brother?" Usagi said with a twisted grin, "I'll tell you why: You couldn't wait. Your chain of fate had been damaged in a scuffle with hollows. Had you waited around just a few more moments, you would have turned into a hollow yourself. But you didn't. Even though your soul had just begun to split apart and re-form as a hollow, you emerged in Soul Society with your soul intact. This left its mark however; your soul contains clues about what happens at the moment a soul turns into a hollow. Not only that, you had enough spirit energy as a human to be comparable to a Shinigami in the way it affected you, which just makes it even better! Did you know that the greatest power a Shinigami can obtain is the power of a hollow, and the greatest power a hollow can obtain is the power of a Shinigami? It's not because those two different types of souls are added on top of each other, it's because when a soul splits between Shinigami and hollow, an even greater power than either type of spirit is created! Your soul has the information on how to replicate this! If I can only get a thorough look at the inside of your soul, I could possess unlimited energy!"

A mad grin spread across Usagi's face, making him look like a demon. It took great willpower to speak again while facing such a terrifying sight.

"And what will you do with that power?" Karin asked.

Usagi grinned. "The same thing I'm doing right now, of course," he said, "Use it to spread chaos throughout the world! Do you think I care about this silly 'Fourth Rising'? I just want to see my devices reach their maximum potential in sowing chaos and destruction through the universe! That is all that I want to see! I don't give a damn what happens to my clients as long as they use my devices to make the world scream!"

"You're insane," Karin whispered, "You're completely, utterly, insane!"

"Insane?" Usagi laughed, "You think I'm insane? I suppose it's only natural that one with a mind as inferior as yours would mistake my genius for insanity! Rest assured though, you will realize my greatness in time!"

Usagi suddenly jabbed Karin in the side with a sharp object that gave her a powerful electric shock. Karin didn't even have the chance to react before being rendered unconscious by the intense jolt and falling forward onto the ground.

"Hm, perhaps I should have used a milder shock," Usagi mused to himself. He put his fingers to her forehead but immediately withdrew them. "So even unconscious, you continue to resist me? Very well then, I have much more in store for you. Guards!"

The door opened, and two of the small grey-faced creatures Usagi kept as servants stepped into the room.

"Do a medical check on her," Usagi instructed them, "I want her prepared for another round as soon as her body can handle it."


	39. Chapter 39

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 39_

"Is this it?" Momo asked in disappointment, "If this is all we have for clues about where the enemy took Karin…"

"Don't be deceived," Soi Fon said, leaning on a cane to avoid causing her recently healed injuries too much stress, "These items provide a wealth of information about our enemy. Already we have found several crucial clues."

Momo, Toushiro, Rangiku, Soi Fon, and Shuuhei Hisagi stood around a table, upon which were several items recovered from the enemy. Soi Fon had agreed to give them a private briefing on the findings of her investigation.

Some of the objects were sealed in bags or cases, while others sat in the open. The items included a heavily curved scimitar, a set of the brown robes worn by the warriors, a bow with accompanying quiver of arrows, a knife, some sort of dried meat, and several other objects.

"Why don't you explain your findings?" Hisagi suggested.

"Very well," Soi Fon said, clearly not pleased with having to showcase her work to her current audience, "The clothes are woven from yak fur, with horse skin being used as leather. The steel in their weapons is crudely forged with many impurities, probably scavenged scrap metal. The knife is made completely out of iron. An analysis of the wood used in the bow indicates an origin in Central Asia."

"So they're from the living world," Rangiku commented.

"Indeed," Soi Fon confirmed, "Furthermore, analysis of the prisoner and the autopsy from several bodies have shown that they are completely human, not a type of soul or other being."

"An entire group of humans capable of such ferocious fighting… it's almost hard to believe," Momo said.

Soi Fon continued. "Though they are evidently spiritually aware, neither the captive nor the corpses we've analyzed have shown any sign of special powers. Their prowess on the battlefield is derived solely through strength and ferocity."

"Incredible…" Toushiro murmured, "Do you know where they came from, exactly? I've never heard of such humans."

"No, unfortunately," Soi Fon said, "Based on the rations they carried and pollen stuck to the fibers of their clothes, were able to determine that they probably reside in Central Asia, but where they came from originally and how they came to be as they are now are both unknown. The language they spoke has been identified as related to the ancient Mesopotamian languages, but we are unable to translate the words of the prisoner."

"Mesopotamian? Nobody has spoken those languages in thousands of years!" Momo said in surprise.

"Well my analysts identified the words of the prisoner as related to the Mesopotamian language family. Whether you believe it or not is up to you," Soi Fon said irritably.

"Ordinary humans who are able to hold their own against Shinigami and speak an ancient language… this just get's stranger and stranger," Toushiro muttered.

"Was there anything else being carried by them? Anything beyond this primitive stuff?" Hisagi asked.

"No," Soi Fon said quickly. Her tense tone caused the others to stare at her.

"Are you sure?" Hisagi said calmly, "Didn't you find anything else?"

"I… No. The things you see in front of you were all the prisoner had when he was captured," Soi Fon said.

"Really? Because a couple members of my division reported that you transferred a package to the Twelfth Division marked for technological analysis," Hisagi said calmly but firmly. Soi Fon scowled at him.

"You were having your men spying on my division?" she said coldly.

"No offense meant, Captain Soi Fon, it's just that you have a tendency of keeping secrets from other divisions. Now why don't you tell us what it is that was so complex that you sent it to Twelfth Division for analysis? I know you don't like Captain Kurotsuchi, so I doubt you'd have sent something to him unless you felt there was no other way to discover its purpose," Hisagi said smoothly. Momo and Rangiku looked on in amazement as Hisagi compelled Soi Fon to tell them the whole story.

"…Very well then," Soi Fon said after long hesitation, "You're right, there was one object that baffled my best experts. We still don't know exactly what it is, but…"

Soi Fon reached into her robe and pulled out a small photograph. Everyone gathered around to get a better look at it. The photo featured a small, silver cylinder with several small ridges but otherwise no unique markings.

"What is it?" Rangiku asked.

"If I knew that do you think I'd have sent it off for analysis?" Soi Fon said irritably, "None of my men were able to discover its purpose. The prisoner was reaching for it when we captured him, so clearly it is of some importance. The fact that it is so different from everything else that was used by these men adds to the mystery. Quite frankly though, there is nothing we can do about it until a complete analysis is conducted by Twelfth Division."

"I see…" Toushiro said, "May we see the prisoner now?"

"I suppose…" Soi Fon said reluctantly, "But remember, I'm only doing this because of the Captain-Commander's instructions to share intelligence with the other Captains. I don't like having people interfere with my work."

"We know. Thank you for being so cooperative," Toushiro said, a hint of iciness in his voice. Soi Fon's attempts at keeping the results of her investigation to herself were making Toushiro rather frustrated, even if he did not outwardly show it.

"Very well, follow me. I'll escort you to the holding area for the prisoner," Soi Fon said.

They followed her out of the room and down a hall of the Twelfth Division headquarters. They were led outside and into another building, where they walked through more halls before going down a long set of stairs into an area that looked like a prison. There were numerous guards as they made their way towards the place where the prisoner was being held. Finally, Soi Fon stopped outside a door flanked by two guards.

"This is it. My men are interrogating him right now, so if you could wait a few minutes-"

"You said yourself that there's no way you could communicate with him, so don't try to delay us with the excuse of ongoing interrogation," Toushiro said.

"Fine," Soi Fon growled, reaching over to the door and punching in a code on the number lock. There was a click, and the door opened.

Inside were two Second Division members standing across a table from a dark skinned man whose hands were bound. The uniformed men turned and quickly bowed upon seeing Soi Fon.

"Captain! We were engaging in the basic interrogation methods as you ordered, but as before they had no effect! We tried to-"

"I know; I expected that from the beginning," Soi Fon sighed, "Please excuse us."

"Yes ma'am!" they said with a bow, quickly leaving the room.

The prisoner glowered at his new visitors, but did not say a word.

"Well, here he is," Soi Fon said, sarcastically waving her hand at him, "The prisoner you wanted to see so badly that you interrupted my work. Now that you're here, what do you plan to do?"

Momo, Toushiro, Rangiku, and Hisagi exchanged awkward glances. In truth, they had no idea what they would do now. It was very likely that this man had information that could help them rescue Karin and defeat the enemy, but they had no way of communicating with him, and even if they could, what was the likelihood of him cooperating and answering their questions? Things were beginning to feel hopeless again as no clear solution presented itself.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Momo cleared her throat and spoke.

"Um, hello there," she said nervously, "We… We'd like to know where you took Karin and why. Please tell us how to find the place where you took her, wherever it is."

The man continued to stare coldly at them, showing no reaction to Momo's words, causing her to shift nervously before speaking again.

"I… I'm Karin's mentor, Momo Hinamori. She is a very close person to me. She's important to lots of other people too. Her brother is worried sick about her; he's done almost nothing but train and fight duels with Eleventh Division members since she was taken. I don't know why you took her, but we need to rescue our friend. Please, tell us where she is. Tell us how we can rescue her!"

Again, the man was silent.

"Oh, that's clever of you. My best interrogators have been working on a way to communicate with and question him, but all this time they could have just asked," Soi Fon said irritably.

"Well they haven't produced any more results than Momo, so why don't you be quiet for now," Toushiro said with an icy glare.

"I'd expect such nonsense out of that naïve girl or your Vice-Captain, but not from you, Captain Hitsugaya," Soi Fon said, "How can you believe that her idiotic babbling to a prisoner who can't even understand her language will possibly produce results?"

"I don't know. To be honest, I'm doubtful that it or any other technique we could think of will work, but Momo is doing what she can to save her apprentice. She knows that the odds are against her, but she's still trying, and I won't tolerate you insulting her for it," Toushiro said fiercely.

"There's no room for such emotional foolishness in times such as these," Soi Fon said, "We need a real plan, not just the inane babbling of a traitor's old subordinate!"

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Toushiro said, anger in his voice, glancing at Momo, who looked as if she had been punched in the stomach from Soi Fon's harsh words that brought up the memory of her old Captain.

"I mean that this girl isn't suited to this sort of work, so she should step aside and let the professionals handle it. She lets her emotions control her. Because pouring her heart out and begging this captive to help find the Kurosaki girl feels right to her in her emotional state, she does it without any regard to whether it will work or not. It's the same as when she was crying for a traitor, making herself believe fantasies because they felt right rather than acknowledge the cold hard truth," Soi Fon said. Tears were beginning to leak from Momo's eyes, though she was able to maintain her composure. Upon seeing this, Toushiro's eyes filled with rage.

"Shut up," Toushiro growled, "I won't tolerate your needless cruelty towards Momo."

"I'm not being cruel, I'm being honest. If you were as smart as they say, you wouldn't have brought someone so emotionally involved into such a sensitive investigation," Soi Fon said, "Then again, if you were as smart as they say, you probably wouldn't remain friends with someone who was quicker to believe you a traitor than they would Aizen."

This was too much for Toushiro. Without warning, he lunged at Soi Fon, his fist clenched and drawn back for a strike. Soi Fon quickly sidestepped, grabbing Toushiro's wrist and smashing him to the ground. Momo let out a small scream and rushed to Toushiro's side as Hisagi quickly grabbed onto Soi Fon to prevent any further fighting.

"Toushiro… Don't you ever do that again! I don't want to see you getting hurt because of me!" Momo cried, helping Toushiro to his feet.

"You see what I mean? Getting yourself worked up into an emotional mess only weakens you. There's no place for weakness in this division. I could report this incident, but I won't out of pure pity for you," Soi Fon said, smirking a little a she watched him wipe away a trickle of blood from his nose.

"If… if caring for one's friends and comrades is a weakness, then I'll gladly be weak," he panted, straightening himself up.

"That mindset won't get results. Feelings for comrades must be put aside at times," Soi Fon said. Before Toushiro could respond, there was a sudden harsh, barking noise that sounded almost like a laugh. They all turned to look at the prisoner, whose glare was now solely upon Soi Fon.

"Yow dun know te mean of te word 'coomrade'," he said with a heavy accent, "True war-yor know te coomrades trust din respect. True war-yor know honor of self din coomrade. Te boy know. Te boy defend honor of te gul. Te gul know. Te gul fight for te safe of her fend. Yow know no bond for coomrades. Kyrzk never spayk such dishonor woman."

"You… you've been able to understand us all this time!" Soi Fon said, a mixture of shock, anger, and surprise in her voice. The others looked equally surprised.

"Kyrzk never spayk yow," the man said, "Leave, din Kyrzk spayk te boy din gul. Te boy din gul have honor worth spayk."

* * *

Karin sat with her legs crossed and her arms folded in the meditative position Momo had taught her. Her eyes were closed and her breathing slow and steady. To an observer, her stillness combined with the bruises and cuts on her body might lead to the belief that she was dead, but this was far from the truth. She was deep in a meditative trance, honing her powers.

"_Meditation brings strength and wisdom. Lack of meditation leaves weakness and ignorance,"_ Momo had told her during her training. At the time, Karin had thought it to be rather silly. What was so special about sitting in a funny position and thinking? Now Karin knew what Momo meant. Even with her powers mostly sealed, she could feel great progress.

In her meditative state, she was able to focus in ways unimaginable to her. She was able to leave her physical body, her fears, and her uncertainties behind and devote all of her energy to honing her skills. Though her reiatsu was sealed so that she could not use it for any techniques, she still had control over the reiatsu inside her body. She manipulated the reiatsu within her body just as if she had been using it in battle. Memories of past fights and training sessions flooded through her head, making her mindful of the strengths and weaknesses of her abilities. She recalled what it felt like to use her Shikai, and imagined channeling her reiatsu through the blade. She thought of the times when she had been too slow, and imagined moving with greater agility. By clearing her mind of all but meditating, she was able to focus on multiple aspects of her abilities.

It may not be true practice, but this was the best she could do right now, and if she ever hoped to get out of this place she had no choice but to continue. As time consuming and difficult as it was, she did not allow herself to become frustrated. As Momo had frequently said during their training, _"Impatience makes things take longer."_

As ridiculous as it sounded, Karin was beginning to feel that her meditation was having a noticeable effect. Not only did it make her feel stronger, but she found that by meditating beforehand she was able to better withstand the torture Usagi subjected her to. She was now extremely grateful to Momo for teaching her proper meditation, for without it she would likely have lost her mind by now.

Karin did not dwell on the torture that Usagi put her through. _"Focus on what you can change first, what you might be able to change in the future second, and what you can't change only when you have nothing better to do,"_ Momo had told her. There was much truth to these words. Focusing on the pain that Usagi put her through was useless. Focusing on honing her skills was the most important thing right now. Even the thought of how she would get out of here would have to wait until an opportunity presented itself. She had to strengthen herself before she could begin to think about escaping, or as Momo had philosophically put it, _"Going through life is like sailing on an old wooden ship. You can't direct the wind, but you can adjust your sails."_ Her current circumstances were beyond her control, so the only thing she could do was hone and strengthen herself.

Of course, the thought of how she would escape did cross her mind fairly often, even if she tried not to focus on it too much. From what she had seen, she was deep within the enemy's base, and her cell had no weaknesses that she could find. She had toyed with the idea of charging the servant creatures when they brought her food, but they always came in groups, and with her power sealed it was unlikely that she could overpower all of them. Furthermore, even if she were able to get out of her cell, she did not know which way she would go to get out, nor did she know what other enemies might be lurking on the way. To complicate things even further, she had no idea where her Zanpakuto was. Beyond a few brief moments, she had been unable to get in contact with Denryu. She _thought_ she could sense the general direction he was in, but there was no way to be certain, and her Zanpakuto was likely just as well-guarded as she was. It was best to put aside such thoughts right now; they would only provide unnecessary worry.

In her meditative state, time passed neither quickly or slowly, instead feeling as though it didn't exist at all. Thus, she did not know how long she had been meditating when she detected several sets of footsteps approaching her cell. She opened her eyes just as three of Usagi's grey-skinned minions opened the cell door and brought in a plate of food and water. Karin took the food and water without speaking. The first few times food had been brought to her, she had refused and insulted the creatures, but soon thirst and hunger drove her to grudgingly accept the poor food and dirty water.

Her aggression towards the trollish creatures quickly disappeared as well. Though they looked ugly and intimidating, with rough grey skin, beady black eyes, and sharp teeth, she soon realized that they were quite pathetic creatures. Their fearsome appearance clearly compensated for the fact that they were very small, shorter than Karin, or maybe even Toushiro. While they were strong for their size, a close look revealed them to be thin and malnourished. Their behavior when not following orders was rather shambling and listless. She didn't know the circumstances by which they came to be serving under Usagi, but she doubted that it was by their choice.

"I told you idiots to wait!"

Karin cringed a little at the sound of Usagi's voice. His appearance usually meant an intense session of torture as he attempted to force her to submit to his will and allow him access to her soul. Usagi strode into Karin's sight, an unusually angry look on his face. Karin had quickly learned to fear Usagi's smile, but when it was also quite intimidating when he looked angry.

"Well, thanks a lot you stupid brat," Usagi said, "Thanks to your resistance, Aurion is pressing me harder than ever. It's your fault I'm off schedule, but nooooooo, he's blaming me! I swear, when this is over I am going to take great pleasure in killing you. Right now though, we still need you. That in mind- Would you get out of the way you stupid worthless creature?" Usagi broke off to deliver a kick to one of his minions that had bumped into him while shambling about. Karin winced a little as the creature impacted with the stone wall. Usagi cleared his throat and continued.

"That in mind, I will continue our little sessions. I had another one planned for around now, in fact, but something came up," Usagi said.

"What?" Karin asked dully.

"Aurion decided that he'd like to have a little chat with you," Usagi said.

"Aurion? You mean…"

"Yeah, the guy in charge of this little operation," Usagi chuckled, "I don't know what he plans to do with you, but with luck it will make you wish you had cooperated with me! He's requested to meet with you in one hour; I'll be coming to get you at that time. Unless, of course, you'd like to open yourself up to examination now..."

"Fat chance of that," Karin said. Usagi chuckled at this.

"I thought not. I suppose I'll see you in an hour then…" Usagi turned and walked off, leaving the creatures behind.

With Usagi gone, the two creatures that had been standing on either side of the door quickly went to the side of their comrade and helped him to his feet. Karin saw that there was a nasty scrape on his head where he had impacted with the wall.

"Come here," she said. The creatures froze and looked at her cautiously like dogs that had just been alerted to an intruder. "Come on, I won't hurt you. Come over here," Karin said again. After a moment of hesitation, the injured creature slowly hobbled over to where Karin was sitting.

Karin examined the wound. It wasn't particularly deep, but it could get infected if left alone.

"Hold still. I'm not an expert with this, but I did pick up a bit of knowledge through observation," she said, placing her hand over the wound. A green glow surrounded her hand, and the wound slowly began to heal. With her amateur skills, it took several minutes, but when she removed her hand the injury had been healed.

"It's funny. I'm the one in a cell, but from what I see, we're both prisoners," Karin said. The creatures quickly spoke among themselves in a language composed of grunts. Karin watched as all three of them hurriedly left, locking the cell door behind them.

She sighed, closing her eyes and returning to her meditation.

* * *

"I am the Captain of the Second Division and Commander of the Onmitsukido! You will answer my questions!" Soi Fon said firmly.

"Yow dishonor woman. Kyrzk not spayk yow," the captive said, "Kyrzk may spayk te boy din gul, te honor ones. Yow leave."

"I will not give into the demands of a prisoner!" Soi Fon said angrily, "Now that we know that you are able to understand us, we will begin interrogating you in earnest!"

"Kyrzk possess honor. Never spayk to dishonor ones. No use try."

"I, uh, think he's saying that you shouldn't even try interrogating him because none of your men are honorable enough for him to speak to," Rangiku said.

"I know," Soi Fon snapped, "It doesn't matter what he wants. He can tell himself that he won't talk, but with proper interrogation, there is no doubt that he will."

"But how long will it take? What quality will the information be?" Hisagi asked, "I think it may be best to allow him to speak with Captain Hitsugaya and Vice-Captain Hinamori. He is willing to talk to them; we couldn't ask for a better opportunity!"

"But… this is my division; I can't just cede my authority so easily…" Soi Fon said, looking very conflicted about what to do.

"I don't ask that you cede your authority, I only ask that you let me and Momo talk to this guy. This is our best chance to get information," Toushiro said.

"I… I don't know…" Soi Fon said, shifting uncomfortably. She clearly recognized the opportunity being presented, but was apparently not keen on leaving Momo and Toushiro to perform such important work.

"Please Captain Soi Fon, just let us speak with him. I promise that it will be worth it!" Momo pleaded.

"This guy probably knows a lot about the enemy. You'd be passing up a major opportunity if you refuse to let them speak with him," Rangiku said.

"That's right, and think about how you would look if your interrogation failed and word got out that you had an opportunity to get solid information from him but passed it up because of your pride," Hisagi said. Soi Fon scowled at this, but moments later sighed in defeat.

"Fine, I'll let you two speak with him, but you'd better make it worth my while!" Soi Fon said.

"Thank you, Captain Soi Fon!" Momo said.

Soi Fon did not respond to her thanks, simply turning and opening the door to leave.

"Wait, Matsumoto. You'd better tell Ichigo about this lead, he'll want to know," Toushiro said.

"You can count on me! He's probably beating up guys in the Eleventh Division right now, so I'll go check there first," Rangiku said.

"I'd better go too. When he's fighting out of frustration like this, it can be a bit… difficult to get his attention," Hisagi said.

"Very well, you two go and contact him; we'll stay here and talk to the prisoner," Toushiro said.

Rangiku and Hisagi walked out, followed by Soi Fon, who gave them one last stern look before closing the door behind her. Momo and Toushiro turned to the prisoner.

"So… will you tell us where you took Karin?" Momo asked.

"No yet," the man said, "Yow have prove yow honor persons. Kyrzk spayk yow, but won't give secrets. Yow must win honor duel before Kyrzk give secrets."


	40. Chapter 40

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 40_

"An honor duel?" Momo repeated. The man nodded.

"Honor duel. Kyrzk will accept challenge of either yow."

"I'm sorry, but we cannot do that," Toushiro said, "Soi Fon allowed us to speak with you alone, but she'll never agree to take your restraints off for a duel."

"Yow misunterstand. Honor duel can be any contest. May be fights, may be riddles, may be sports. Don't matter. If honor rest upon te outcome, is honor duel."

"We have nothing like that available. I'd appreciate it if you didn't play your games with us as we are quite serious about finding information on our friend," Toushiro said.

"Look to Kyrzk like yow already playin games," the captive said, "Yow left side, beneath te robes. Kyrzk saw during yow scuffle. There be a bag of smooth stones; no doubt for games."

"Those… In the time before Momo was allowed to leave the Fourth Division, we played mancala to pass the time. Those are just the pieces," Toushiro said, looking a bit embarrassed to be in possession of game pieces.

"Set them out," the captive instructed.

Momo and Toushiro glanced at each other, unsure what to do.

"First tell us your name," Momo said, "You know our names, what is yours?"

"'Kyr' is name," the man said.

"Really? I thought it was 'Kyrzk' since that's what you always use to refer to yourself," Momo said.

"'Kyrzk' how refer to self, 'Kyr' formal name. Now put out game pieces."

Toushiro reluctantly reached into his robes and pulled out a small leather bag. He opened it and poured out a number of highly polished stones colored green and pink. They were flat on the bottom, but otherwise completely smooth and rounded. In total, there were eighteen green and eighteen pink for a total of thirty-six stones. Kyr smiled upon seeing the game pieces.

"Yes, this will do," he said, "Kyrzk show yow how play Iskl, traditional game of te Karekol people. First, line up te pieces six by six. Green one side, pink te other."

Toushiro did as Kyr instructed, lining up the pieces into neat rows, with the green on his side and pink on Kyr's side. After it was set up, Kyr began telling him the rules of the game.

"Te object of Iskl is to move pieces to opponent side to form win pattern. Yow switch one yow piece with opponent piece. Piece in yow first row only replace piece in opponent first row, piece in second row only replace opponent second row, din piece in te third row switch with opponent third third row. When on opponent side, may switch with adjacent opponent piece in first din third row, din with diagonal pieces in second row. Yow understand?"

"I believe so, but what sort of patterns are to be made?" Toushiro asked.

"Any symmetry pattern with half yow pieces one side, half other. Same pattern each side. Opponent try disrupt, yow try outwit him."

"I see. Very well then, I'll play this game of yours. If I win, you will tell me all the information we need about the "Fourth Rising", its leaders, and how to get there, agreed?" Toushiro said.

"Agreed," Kyr replied, "But know that Kyrzk only give yow information on te Fourth Rising. Kyrzk will not betray people."

"Very well then," Toushiro said.

"Din one more thing!" Kyr said, "If Kyrzk wins, yow must release on yow honor."

Momo was about to object, but before she could, Toushiro said "Agreed."

"Toushiro, we can't do that!" she whispered to him.

"This is our only chance to obtain real information on where Karin is, not to mention finding and defeating the enemy," Toushiro said.

"But what if you lose?"

"If I lose, I'll uphold my side of the bargain," Toushiro said simply.

Before Momo could object further, the game had begun. Toushiro took the first move, switching one of his first row pieces with that of Kyr. His opponent responded by switching the piece that Toushiro had just moved to his side with one of Toushiro's pieces. As they took turns switching their pieces for the opponents, Momo soon became lost with the complexities of the game. The rules had seemed unclear to Momo, but Toushiro was apparently able to pick them up fast. Both Toushiro and Kyr focused intensely on the game, their expressions as serious as if they were in the heat of battle. She would sometimes see a pattern emerging on one side, only for the opponent to block it before a complete combination could be made. It went back and forth for a long time – or at least what felt like a long time – until Toushiro stood up and moved one last piece into place, forming a diamond pattern with four pieces in each corner.

"It's my victory," he said, trying to stifle a sigh of relief, "Now tell us everything you know about the Fourth Rising."

"Very well. If Kyrzk answers not honest, then Kyrzk condemn self to dishonor. What yow question Kyrzk answer?"

"Um, I guess the first question would be who's leading this rebellion against Seireitei?" Momo said.

"A man name Aurion. Kyrzk know not where came from. As if came from nowhere, din gathered followers. Arrancars, rogue Shinigami, anyone with power din nothing to do with it."

"And that would include your people?" Toushiro asked.

"No! Of course not!" Kyr barked, "We a proud people. We never put selves subjugation to such dishonor ones! We serve Aurion because our master instructs us to."

"Master… you mean that skeleton monster?" Momo asked.

"Do not refer him in such disrespect words," Kyr said, "He te reason te Karekol last so long. When enemies attack, he fight them off din lead us to safe hide spot until danger over. Invaders came to our lands many times, din because him, we outlast every one of them. Whomever they be, every empire in past four thousand years fall, because they don't have him to protect him. He appears when danger, then disappears. He is more than our master, is unstoppable force of nature. We no know why he leads us in following Aurion, but we can only trust in him as we always have."

"So… why did he kidnap Karin?" Momo asked, trying hard not to insult the monstrous being that Kyr clearly held with great reverence.

"Because Aurion told him, and he chose to follow te order," Kyr said.

"But why did Aurion want her kidnapped?" Toushiro pressed.

"There is a man Aurion hired. A madman named Usagi Uzaki. He make all kind of device for Aurion, but asks for 'material' in return. He had us raid any place might possess thing he could use. One way he power his weapon is soul energy. He use Quincy for that, but that not enough. Te gul was taken to provide power for new weapon Usagi build for Aurion."

"I see…" Toushiro said, his expression dark, "Will Karin be okay?"

"Kyrzk no know. He want her alive, but when he done with her…"

"I understand. Do you know how we can get to the place they're holding her?"

"Yes. One Usagi Uzaki item makes move from one place to another. He able to do it freely, but for us is design to go to pre-established location: te fortress."

"So… so we can use this thing to go straight to where they're holding Karin!" Momo said hopefully.

"No, no yow," Kyr said, "Design only for use by Karekol. Yow can't use."

"What? Then how are we supposed to-"

"However," Kyr continued, "It is entirely possible for te user, by which mean Kyrzk, to move multiple people. If yow agree let Kyrzk go back to people on arrival."

Momo and Toushiro looked at each other nervously. There was no way that Soi Fon would allow them to take the prisoner outside her division, let alone release him afterwards. If they were going to do this, they would have to do it secretly. This was their only chance however, and they couldn't wait for such a plan to be approved. With each passing day, the danger for Karin grew. If they were to propose such a plan to Yamamoto and Soi Fon, it would be greatly delayed, if they allowed it at all. This was their only chance.

"Very well," Toushiro said, "What do these devices you use look like?"

"Small metal tubes," Kyr said, "Kyrzk sure yow capture some."

"Yes, we did…" Toushiro said, "Momo, go contact Matsumoto and Ichigo. Chances are they're already on their way here. Tell them to meet me at Tenth Division headquarters. We'll need a plan to infiltrate Twelfth Division, get that device, get back to Kyr, get to the enemy fortress, and rescue Karin!"

* * *

Karin sat in a chair, her hands bound. Usagi leaned against the wall of the dark room they were in, smirking at her as he waited for his master to arrive.

"I'm sure Aurion will be quite effective in getting you to talk," he chuckled, "Aurion isn't the type of person most people can deny."

Karin remained silent, choosing not to react to Usagi's taunts.

"What's the matter? Too scared to talk? I don't blame you. Aurion is a scary guy if you get him mad. If he has to force your cooperation, you'll be in a world of hurt!" he said, "Of course, I plan to make you pay for the trouble you've caused me too. I might even keep you as my little pet to conduct experiments on when we're done with the issue at hand. How does that sound you little-"

"That will be enough, Usagi," a deep commanding voice said. Usagi immediately straightened up.

"As you wish," he said, the mocking tone gone from his voice, "Is there any way I can assist you?"

"You may leave. I'd like to speak with her alone," Aurion said.

"Very well then," Usagi hurriedly said, promptly scurrying out .

Karin's heart beat quickly. She couldn't yet see the man called Aurion, but she could feel his power, even greater than Toushiro's or Ichigo's. The man's presence struck fear into her, but she refused to show it. She could hear his footsteps approaching her from behind, and tried to steady her breathing so as not to give away how unnerved she was. This was the leader of the organization that had abducted her. She didn't know what he was going to do to her, but from what Usagi said it couldn't be pleasant. She held her breath when she heard the footsteps stop right behind her.

"My apologies for the rough treatment, Miss Kurosaki," he said in his deep voice, "Allow me to make you more comfortable."

The bindings that held her hands behind her back suddenly turned hot before dissolving, freeing her. Karin rubbed her wrists nervously. Why had he freed her? What was this man up to?

"Now then, I think I'd like to begin our conversation," Aurion said, for the first time walking into Karin's sight. He was tall and quite old. His grey beard was neatly trimmed, and his clothes appeared to be made of the finest and most expensive leather and cloth, with a cape hanging over his shoulders. At his side was a sword with a western-style hilt.

"First, let me say that I have nothing against you. I suppose you could say it's not personal, it's just business," Aurion said.

"I hope you'll excuse me if I _do_ take it personally," Karin said icily.

"Well I suppose that can't be helped," Aurion chuckled, "Tell me, Miss Kurosaki, why are you here?"

"Because you kidnapped me," Karin said dryly.

"No, I mean why are you in Soul Society? Why are you here, and not with your family in the Living World?" Aurion said.

"Because the Living World is for the living," Karin said.

"And why aren't you living?" Aurion asked, "I don't mean how you died. I'm well aware that you were killed by a hollow. I mean _why_ you died. Why didn't a Shinigami appear the instant hollows were spotted? Why did those hollows become hollows in the first place? The answer is simple: Seireitei is rotten, corrupt, and incompetent."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but Toushiro Hitsugaya came as soon as he could to fight off the hollow. True, he wasn't able to save my mortal life, but because he arrived, my soul wasn't eaten," Karin said.

"You're wrong. Soul Society became aware of that hollow nearly ten minutes before it attacked you. Captain Hitsugaya was instructed not to leave his assigned post, and ordinary Shinigami were dispatched to combat the hollow. As evidenced by your being here, those ordinary Shinigami didn't make it in time, and it was only Captain Hitsugaya's last minute decision to abandon his post that saved you. Had Seireitei stationed enough Shinigami to react quickly to such incidents, or if they had allowed Shinigami such as Captain Hitsugaya more flexibility while staying in the Living World, you would still be with your family and friends. Instead, they chose to keep the majority of Shinigami in Seireitei at most times, when those same Shinigami could defeat numerous hollows, preventing many tragedies such as yours. If they really made an effort, they could even perform Konso on nearly all souls, preventing them from becoming hollows in the first place. But they don't do that, because the leaders of Seireitei are more concerned with their own grip on power than the good of the world. That's why they focus their forces on Seireitei instead of the Living World, or even Rukongai."

"There might be some faults, but from what I've seen the majority of Shinigami are hard working and make an honest effort," Karin said, "If you're hoping to persuade me that you're really the good guys here, you'll have to do better."

"Very well; I will then," Aurion said, "You're familiar with the Quincy Uryu Ishida, correct?"

"Yes, you've been trying to capture him," Karin said.

"Do you know why he calls himself 'the last Quincy'? It's because almost all other Quincy were wiped out in a genocide committed by Seireitei," Aurion said grimly.

"What? No, that can't… You're making things up!" Karin said, shocked at this revelation.

"The Quincy were humans who learned to control spirit power to fight hollows. Because of this, they were a threat to Seireitei's grip on power, even though they were only concerned with fighting for the safety of their fellow humans," Aurion continued, "The Shinigami launched a brutal campaign against them in which nearly all Quincy were killed."

"You… You must be leaving something out. They wouldn't do something like that for no reason!" Karin said, horrified by what she had been told.

"The Shinigami of Seireitei are trained to be ruthless. Even if as individuals they abhor violence, on the battlefield they are absolutely merciless. It is because he didn't receive that indoctrination that your brother has had such trouble proving himself worthy to become a Captain. Make no mistake though, all of the Shinigami you know and have befriended are killers."

Karin's heart began to beat faster. She knew on a mental level that as high ranking officers, people like Momo, Toushiro, and Rangiku would sometimes be required to use lethal force, but the thought of her friends actually killing someone was extremely disturbing. She tried to shake away that feeling, realizing that it was silly to be bothered by this now.

"That can't be helped. On the battlefield, it's kill or be killed. They did what they had to do. It is unreasonable to fault them for that," Karin said.

"Is that so? Well can you fault them for this?" Aurion pulled a photo from his robes and held it up to Karin.

Karin quickly shut her eyes and turned away, but the image was already burned into her mind. She felt as if she would be sick, and was unable to get the haunting picture out of her mind.

"You can open your eyes, I've put it away," Aurion said, "Tell me, what did you see just now?"

"A… A man with the top of his head blown off…" Karin said, shuddering slightly.

"That was one of my men. Do you know why he ended up like that?" Aurion asked. Too disturbed to speak, Karin shook her head, to which Aurion gave a subtle smile. "It's because your mentor, Vice-Captain Momo Hinamori, murdered him in cold blood after he was defeated."

"No!" Karin yelled, standing up angrily, "You're lying! There's no way she would ever do that!"

"You think I'm lying? Think back a little. I know that the picture I just showed you had some features missing, but I think you can recognize who it was if you try hard enough," Aurion said.

Karin's eyes widened as she thought back to when she and Momo had been ambushed by Arrancars. She now recognized the man in the grizzly photo as the one that had fought Momo. Her legs seemed to turn to jelly, and she slumped back into the chair, putting a hand to her forehead in shock.

"Such actions are not unusual for Shinigami. You'll find that they are unworthy of your respect. I was once a Shinigami Captain, but I tried to press for reforms to help people in Rukongai and the Living World. The dominant powers of Seireitei viewed this as an attack on their authority, and they tried to suppress me. I fought the First Rising in an attempt to end Seireitei's inhumanity and callous disregard for the well being of the vast majority of souls. I failed then, but with your help, I can succeed now," Aurion said, "Cooperate with me. With your help, I can reform Seireitei. They will no longer ignore the suffering of people for the sake of their own grip on power. Both Rukongai and the Living World will benefit. More hollows will be defeated before they can harm souls, and more souls will be sent to Soul Society before they can become hollows. Furthermore, I intend to create a second great city so that Seireitei will not have a monopoly on power. Lives will be saved, Rukongai will prosper, and Shinigami will be able to reach their full potential rather than stagnating under current rule. I promise that if you cooperate, I will not harm you, nor will I allow Usagi to harm you. My plan will involve minimal casualties for Soul Society; certainly far less than if the Shinigami continue operating the way they do now. Will you help me create a better world, Karin Kurosaki."

Karin's mind felt numb. Aurion's words echoed in her head. Seireitei incompetent and unable to protect people… Shinigami guilty of extermination of the Quincy… Her friends killers… it was all too much. She felt as if her entire world had been turned upside down. In her hazy mind, she heard herself murmer "Yes."

"Ah, excellent!" Aurion said, raising his hand to press a small button on the front of his cape, "Usagi, please come in."

Within seconds, Usagi Uzaki was inside the room, his usual smirk in place.

"You rang?" he said.

"Miss Kurosaki has agreed to cooperate. Please prepare to perform the extraction in the least stressful way possible. Ensure that she is not harmed during the procedure," Aurion said.

"Very well…" Usagi said, looking rather disappointed.

"Wait, just one more thing," Karin said as Aurion prepared to leave the room, "Usagi said that he wanted to study my soul as a way to create a new kind of power. What do you intend to use that power for?" Aurion didn't speak for a minute, seeming unsure whether to answer, but finally spoke.

"With the power derived from your soul, we will create a new weapon, one that can destroy a huge area in an instant. We will use these weapons on cities in the human world. At the same moment, we will release hollow bait over Seireitei and announce our intentions to the Shinigami. The vast number of souls that will need to be managed will render Seireitei unable to fight against us in battle. An agreement will be reached before combat even occurs. Seireitei will adopt the needed reforms and we will be allowed to establish a second organization of Shinigami to break their monopoly on power. By the time the situation is under control, the beginnings of this new era will already be firmly in place, and they'll be left with no choice but to accept it."

Karin whispered something under her breath, causing Aurion to drop the excited look on his face.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"You're evil," Karin said a little louder, "I don't know about those things you've told me about Seireitei, and I'll certainly ask some questions when I get back, but there's no doubt in my mind that you are evil. Murdering millions so you can get your way? No good person could do that. The same goes for associating yourself with this maniac and letting him torture me. Would a good person do that? After all the people you've harmed, you can't possibly be considered a good person."

"I did those things for the greater good. Seireitei is rotten, and I'm needed to correct it," Aurion insisted.

"No, you're just a maniac convinced that you have the solution to all of the world's problems and that any action, no matter how despicable, is therefore justified," Karin said, "I'll never cooperate with a person like you."

"I see," Aurion said grimly, "That is unfortunate. Usagi, please take Miss Kurosaki back to her cell. You may resume your work on her as soon as you like."

With that, Aurion turned and exited, leaving Karin and Usagi behind.

"My, my, aren't you a stubborn one!" Usagi chuckled, "You're going to wish that you had taken up his offer when you had the chance."

"Whatever. You've been saying that for days. If you still think that by torturing me you'll get me to cooperate, you're clearly not as smart as you think you are," Karin said.

"Those are big words for a little brat. Now put your arms forward so that I can put new restraints on you," Usagi said.

Karin glared at him for a moment before slowly stretching out her arms. Usagi took out a pair of wrist restraints and moved towards her. Before he could do anything however, Karin suddenly jumped up and kicked the restraints out of Usagi's hands, taking a fighting stance. Usagi laughed at this.

"You're going to fight me? Fine! Let's see you try!" he giggled.

Karin stayed in her fighting stance, prepared to make a dash for freedom. Usagi was unarmed, and she knew that he was relied on his various devices and weapons in battle. If she could just subdue him, she might actually be able to get out of here. She let out a yell and aimed a punch at Usagi. Usagi leapt back at that exact moment however, resulting in the blow missing. He grabbed her outstretched arm by the wrist and yanked her forward, pulling her close to him and grabbing her by the shoulders.

"I'll admit you have some skill, but you're still just a stubborn little insect to me. The only thing you're good for is being a specimen for study and experimentation," Usagi said with a grin.

Karin did not pay attention to his taunts, and used her knee to kick him in the groin. In surprise, he let go, giving Karin the chance to run for the door. Before she could get there however, Usagi had recovered and ran to block the way.

"Sorry missy, you're not going anywhere," he smirked.

For a moment Karin hesitated, but then she thought of everything Usagi had done to her, of all the pain he had put her through. Her anger galvanized her resolve. She let out a yell and proceeded to leap and deliver a powerful kick to Usagi's face.

The blow caused Usagi to stagger backwards, nearly making him fall on his face. When he straightened up, he was no longer facing Karin, but rather looking at the ground, where the dark glasses he wore lay on the ground, one lens smashed and the other badly cracked. He bent down and picked the glasses up, examining them for a moment before tossing the useless things away. Karin could see him clenching his fists.

"I liked those," he said in a deathly calm tone, slowly turning around.

Karin screamed, falling backwards in horror. Where Usagi's eyes should have been were what looked like a pair of black, pulsating hearts. Usagi took advantage of her startled reaction, kicking her in the gut and promptly pinning her down. Before Karin could react, Usagi had stabbed her in the legs with a thin spike that evidently delivered a type of tranquilizer, as her legs soon turned numb. He looked her in the face with those horrible, disgusting eyes, anger etched across his face.

"I tried being fair to you. I gave you multiple chances to cooperate, but you didn't take them. It's too late for you now. I swear upon all the work I've ever done, you will never leave this place alive," he said viciously.

A manic look spread across Usagi's face, and he reached into his robes and pulled out what looked like a large silver marble. He fiddled with something on the side of it for a moment before turning to Karin.

"Of course, I'm a nice guy, so I suppose I can give you one last chance," he said in a sickeningly sweet tone. With that, he grabbed Karin by the neck with on hand and with the other began prying her jaw open.

Karin tried to resist, but panic, fear, and exhaustion reduced her resistance to little more than aimless struggling. Despite her best efforts to keep her mouth closed, Usagi forced her jaws open and pushed the marble into her mouth. Karin choked and gagged as he forced the marble past her tongue and into her throat, tears streaming down her face as the large object was forcibly shoved down her throat. When it was over, she coughed and gasped, grasping her throat fearfully.

"That device will explode in 36 hours unless I see fit to disable it," Usagi said calmly, "You have that amount of time to cooperate with me."


	41. Chapter 41

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 41_

"I don't like this, it's way too risky," Toushiro said.

"I know, but it's the only way," Momo replied, "Are Ichigo and Rangiku ready? After we pull this off, we'll need to get back to Kyr as soon as possible."

"Just be careful. I won't be able to distract him for long. Get the device and get out. If Mayuri catches you breaking into his lab…"

"You're forgetting, I'm a master of Kido, especially stealth Kido," Momo smiled.

"And Mayuri is a master of being a sadistic bastard, so make sure you don't get caught," Toushiro said.

"Why don't you close your eyes for a moment?" Momo said.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Fine…" Toushiro said, closing his eyes, "When can I open them?"

"You can open them… now!"

Toushiro opened his eyes, but to his surprise Momo was no longer there. "Momo? Where did you go?" he asked in confusion.

"I didn't go anywhere!" Momo's voice came from right in front of him. It was then that he noticed that the place where Momo had been standing was now slightly distorted and blurry.

"Impressed? It took a long time to perfect this spell," Momo said.

"That's amazing, but don't let your confidence make you careless," Toushiro warned.

"Don't worry, I have a few more precautionary measures, and if worst comes to worst, I can knock out any interference with Hakufuku," Momo said, "Now why don't you go and begin the diversion? The plan won't work if you don't keep Captain Kurotsuchi occupied."

"Very well," Toushiro nodded, "Good luck."

"Good luck to you too. We'll all need luck for this to work," Momo said with a small smile.

* * *

"So what now?" Rukia asked.

"Now, we wait. Captain Hitsugaya has requested that Captain Kurotsuchi come to Tenth Division headquarters to discuss spirit particles or something. It's all an act, so I don't know exactly what it is they'll be talking about," Rangiku explained, "Meanwhile, Momo will break into Twelfth Division to steal the teleportation device. After that, they'll meet up with us and we all get to where they're holding Kyr, by force if necessary. Then Kyr will teleport us all to the enemy fortress, and he guides us to Karin. Pretty simple, right?"

"I'm not sure I'd call it _simple_," Rukia said, "Who is Kyr again?"

"It's your fault for butting your head into this at the last minute," Ichigo said.

"Hey, I want to save your sister too, you know! When you started acting in a way that made it obvious from a mile away that you were planning something to rescue her, I couldn't just stay out! Besides, you're hopeless without me there to help you out," Rukia said stubbornly.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ichigo said, smiling for the first time in days, "Thanks for that…"

"Don't get sappy with me," Rukia grumbled, "So when will they get here?"

"The Captain summoned Captain Kurotsuchi about half an hour ago, so hopefully they'll be here soon," Rangiku said.

"Half an hour? Shouldn't they be here already then? I can't imagine Captain Kurotsuchi being distracted for so long. Are they going to be alright?" Rukia asked.

"Oh sure, they'll be fine! Captain Kurotsuchi can't just deny a request for information, and Momo is an expert at stealth Kido. By the time they even notice the device is missing, we'll be long gone," Rangiku assured her.

"And you're positive that nobody will catch wind of what's really going on?" Rukia asked.

"Yeah, of course!"

"Then what's that?"

They looked to where Rukia was pointing to see at least a dozen elite Onmytsukido operatives rushing towards them.

"Oh crap…" Ichigo muttered.

"Stay where you are! You're under arrest for conspiracy to steal class-A evidence!" one of them yelled.

Immediately, the three Shinigami turned and ran, their cover blown. As they did so, they soon ran into Momo and Toushiro, who were also running at top speed.

"What the hell happened?" Ichigo yelled.

"Everything was going as planned, but then Momo tripped the security system," Toushiro said.

"I was able to get past most of their security measures! It's not my fault! Besides, I got the device!" Momo said defensively, holding up the small silver cylinder.

"That's some good news, at least. Let's get to Kyr!" Rangiku said as they ran, changing course so that they were headed towards the Second Division prison area.

"They're going to be on high security now that we know we're up to something," Toushiro said.

"We'll make it!" Ichigo said, "Now hurry up before they get wind of where we're going!"

They continued to run. They seemed to have lost their pursuers, as there was nobody following them anymore, but they did not slow down for an instant. They continued running until they were at the Second Division prison and interrogation center where Kyr was being held. They rushed into the building, rushing to the single guard administering the reception room.

"Hello, we'd like to see prisoner Kyr in cell C-138," Momo said nervously, trying to sound casual as she and the others panted.

"I'm sorry, but that prisoner is not available for visitation at the moment. If you'd like to make an appointment-"

"No time for that! Sorry about this, buddy," Ichigo said, knocking out the guard with a punch to the head. They immediately ran past the unconscious guard in the direction of the cell where Kyr was being held.

"You could have let me knock him out with Kido, you didn't have to give him a head injury," Momo said disapprovingly.

"Hey, you can take out the next guard we run into your way," Ichigo said.

This proved to not take long. They ran into several guards as they made their way towards Kyr's holding cell, and Momo and Ichigo would take turns knocking them out, Momo with Hakufuku, Ichigo with his fists.

"That's the eighth one so far," Ichigo said, "Next one is mine!"

"Don't you think it's strange? Only eight guards even so far into the prison? There should be hundreds working at this place," Momo said in concern.

"Don't complain about good luck," Rangiku said, "Besides, we're almost there."

Indeed, soon they reached the place where Kyr was held, they only needed to break down one more gate, and they'd be in the hall with the cell where Kyr was being kept captive. Hitsugaya drew his Zanpakuto to slice the heavy iron gate that blocked their way. As they ran through however, they found themselves facing a large number of Onmystukido guards in a circular formation.

"So you did come," one at the front said, "I'm sorry, but we cannot let you go any further."

They heard footsteps behind them, and soon more guards emerged, cutting off any chance of escape. Ichigo, Rukia, Momo, Toushiro, and Rangiku drew their swords, preparing to fight their way through.

"We moved the prisoner, you have no chance of reaching him. It would be best if you just surrendered right now," the nearest guard said. Before either side could make another move, however, a loud war-cry echoed through the chambers.

"Yow underestimate te Karekol waryor!" Kyr roared from behind the massed guards, tearing his way through their ranks before they could react. Broken chains hung from his wrists, and pure warrior instinct gleamed in his eyes.

The Shinigami hoping to rescue Karin immediately joined in the brawl, rushing to aid Kyr. The guards were numerous, but they were no match for the amassed talent, power, and determination held by Momo, Toushiro, Rangiku, Rukia, and Ichigo. Soon, all of the guards were lying defeated on the floor.

"Yow have te device?" Kyr asked.

"Indeed," Momo replied, holding up the object, "What do we need to do?"

"Just put yow hands on Kyrzk arm," Kyr said.

They all complied with his instructions, placing their hands on his arms. Momo handed the device to him.

"Yow ready?" Kyr asked. The others nodded. "Then Kyrzk begin now."

They all felt a strange feeling, as if they were falling, and there was a small flash of light. The next thing they knew, they were no longer in the dungeon-like prison, but at a gate leading into a massive, black dome.

"Welcome to te fortress of te Fourth Rising," Kyr said.

* * *

Karin sat in solitude inside her cell. It had been twenty-six hours since she had been forced to swallow the device which Usagi had told her would explode if she didn't cooperate. New chains had been put on her wrists, and her ankles were now connected by a length of chain that prevented her from running or kicking. It was truly miserable.

Karin did not show any sign of distress, however. Her eyes were closed as she sat in her usual meditative stance. This was not just mental discipline however. Today she planned to escape. She had already resolved that she would not give in to Usagi's demand that she allow him access to her soul for study, and if she just sat around, she'd only have about ten hours to live anyway. She had nothing to lose by doing this.

In truth, Karin did not expect to live. By the time the tranquilizer Usagi had injected into her to keep her docile had worn off, twenty hours had already passed. Several more hours had passed before she had resolved on trying to escape, and now only ten more hours remained before the bomb Usagi had forced her to swallow would go off. She doubted that she'd be able to escape and get to Seireitei in that time. This did not make her desire to escape any less strong however. If she was going to die, it wasn't going to be as a prisoner. If nothing else, this would be a last act of defiance from her.

Karin had always been told that she had a stubborn personality, a fact that she tended to agree with. Others may have viewed it as a negative attribute, but Karin took pride in it, especially now, when her stubbornness was motivating her to make a defiant stand against her captors.

She had planned it all out in her head. When Usagi's servants came to give her food and water, she would take them by surprise and immobilize them. They were small creatures, and if she caught them by surprise she had a good chance of taking them out. The chains on her wrists and ankles were something of a handicap, but she was confident that she'd be able to at least overpower the two or three guards that usually came to her cell. She would try to find her Zanpakuto, but if she couldn't she would leave without it. She doubted that she'd be a match for any enemies she ran into on the way out anyway.

As she mentally prepared, she reflected on her past, both in life and after-life. She thought of her father, her mother, Ichigo and Yuzu, her friends, Toushiro, Rangiku, Momo… she felt grateful to all of them for making her existence happy. There had been difficult times for her, such as when her mother died or when she herself lost her mortal life, but overall she had a very happy life and afterlife. She regretted that the end may be near for her, but she did not let herself be consumed by angst. Whenever she began to feel nervous or scared, she would reflect on all of the people who helped her through life, and quickly calmed down.

Mid-way through thinking back to her training with Momo, Karin heard footsteps that she recognized as belonging to the small creatures Usagi kept as slaves. She did not begrudge the pathetic creatures, but she would not show mercy to them either. She kept her eyes closed, careful to not give any sign that she was about to attempt to break out. She listened carefully as they got closer and closer to her cell. There was a pause for a second, followed by a metallic click and a creak as the metal door was unlocked and opened.

Karin leapt into action immediately. Changing from a completely still state to one of frenzied motion took the creatures by surprise, and by the time they knew what hit them Karin had hit one in the gut with her chained-together fist and slammed herself against another one, knocking it down. She saw to her dismay that there were three more of them, much more than she had expected. The element of surprise lost, she braced herself as the three remaining creatures came at her with outstretched arms.

Karin ducked to avoid one of them, headbutting it in the chest. Though it knocked the creature back, armor it wore made the action rather painful for Karin. Another one grabbed at her wrists, in response to which Karin swung her arms to send it reeling backwards. Just as Karin was getting confident of her odds of escape, she saw one of the knocked over creatures getting up. In response, she instinctively aimed a kick at it. At the very moment she did so, she remembered to her horror that her ankles were shackled and connected by a short length of chain. Already in motion and too late to stop, Karin tripped and stumbled as the chain caused her one foot on the ground to be yanked forward.

Karin fell on her face, furious and humiliated that she had made such a mistake. She tried to right herself up, but the creatures, recovered from their blows, were already upon her. Two of them grabbed onto her arm, one of them onto her legs, and one onto her back. After briefly putting up a weak struggle, Karin lowered her head in defeat. She had failed to escape. She wouldn't get another chance, and now her death would be certain without even the comfort of knowing she was no longer Usagi's captive.

As tears threatened to form in her eyes however, she heard several clicks, and looked down to see, to her great surprise, that the shackles on her wrist had been taken off. She realized seconds later that the bindings on her ankles were also removed. She blinked in surprise.

"You… you're helping me?" she said in amazement as the creatures tossed the chains aside. In her stunned state, she vaguely realized that yet another creature was approaching from the dark passageway, this one holding out a long object.

"Denryu!" Karin gasped, taking her Zanpakuto from the creature, "But… why are you doing this?"

The creature gave a short grunt and pointed at its forehead where there was a scar visible from a recently healed wound. It was then that Karin recognized this as the same creature that she had healed after it had been struck by Usagi. She smiled at it and its companions.

"Thank you," she said, "Now come on, let's get out of this place!"


	42. Chapter 42

A/N: Thank you to war90, Taeniaea, nexuswarrior, Turtle-chan in Blue, DigiPal, The Great Pineapple MEKI, Ilovebleach102012, Genysin69, and serenity095 for reviewing last chapter!

* * *

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 42_

Toushiro, Momo, Rangiku, Ichigo, and Rukia held their breaths as two rogue Shinigami walked down the hall. Together with Kyr, they clung to decorative statues that jutted out of the walls near the ceiling. When the two enemies were out of sight, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness," Momo said, "If they had raised the alert, who knows what would have happened."

"Te path not over yet! Yow alert remain!" Kyr said, leaping down from the statue he was sitting upon. The others followed suit, jumping down to the floor and following after Kyr down the long hall.

Thanks to Kyr's guidance, they managed to infiltrate the fortress without being noticed. It was fortunate that they had been able to recruit his help, for without it they surely would have been discovered by now. The complex they were in was astonishingly large; had they tried to navigate it on their own they would certainly have become lost.

"How much further?" Toushiro asked quietly.

"Kyrzk lead yow to te lower south wing. That where te gul being keep. Where in te south wing, Kyrzk don't know. Once yow get there, up to yow," Kyr answered.

"What type of opposition can we expect to run into?" Ichigo asked.

"No many. Few here for such large fortress. No more arrancar, under a hundred renegade Shinigami, din Usagi Uzaki servants. Kyrzk people te only ones to be concerned with. Others no problem," Kyr said, "If avoid attention, no oppose likely."

"I see…"

They continued to make their way stealthily through the fortress, occasionally hiding when they thought they heard an enemy. They ran into no actual opposition, however, and were able to go deep into the enemy base. After a long while, they reached a circular room with a fountain in the middle and six doors.

"This as far as Kyrzk know," Kyr said, "Those two door lead to te lower south wing. Gul somewhere there. Yow have to search now. Kyrzk must go."

"Go? What do you mean?" Rangiku asked.

"Kyrzk must reunite with people. Won't tell of yow presence, but no can aid you further. Goodbye," Kyr said. With that, he pulled out the silver device again and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"I guess we're on our own now…" Rukia said.

"Kyr said that those two doors lead to the area where Karin is being held," Toushiro said, "Momo and I will take the one on the right, you three take the one on the left. If Karin is found, we'll use Tenteikura to spread the message among us. When that happens, we'll all meet up here and get out the same way we got in. Everyone understand?"

The others nodded in understanding, each of them wearing a determined expression.

"Good. Let's go."

* * *

"This way? You're saying this is the way out?" Karin whispered. The creatures guiding her grunted affirmatively, gesturing for her to go down a narrow passageway.

Karin squeezed into the narrow corridor, presumably used by these creatures for quick transportation. She was grateful for her fairly small frame, for if she were larger she probably wouldn't fit. As she and the creatures that were now her allies made their way forward, Karin could not help but smile to herself.

She might actually make it. Thanks to these creatures, she not only had her Zanpakuto, she had a way out. If they could get out of this place and back to Seireitei, she was sure that they'd somehow be able to remove the device that threatened to kill her. In fact, there were probably patrols of Shinigami all over the place who could take her back to Seireitei. Yes, things were looking much brighter now than they had just a few hours ago.

Despite her hope, Karin internally reminded herself that it was not over yet. She was still in the enemy base, and the possibility of getting caught was very real. These creatures might be able to guide her out, but they couldn't guarantee that they wouldn't be intercepted by enemies. Karin had briefly considered the possibility that the creatures were in fact acting on Usagi's orders and leading her into some sort of trap, but she quickly dismissed the idea. She had seen the way they had been hurt and abused by Usagi. They were seeking freedom just as much as she was.

The creatures stopped walking after a short while and pointed at the ceiling, where Karin saw that there was a hole. One of the creatures pointed at several indentations in the wall, proceeding to use them like a ladder to climb up through the hole. The others looked at Karin expectantly, apparently wanting her to go next. Karin lifted herself onto the indentations and began climbing, careful not to lose her footing. When she was at the top, she grabbed onto the edge of the hole and pulled herself through, the creature at the top aiding her in this.

"Thanks," she said, "What is this? Some type of ventilation shaft?"

The creature in front of her grunted incoherently as its companions climbed up to join them. It was small and cramped, with Karin forced to stay on her hands and knees. She wasn't sure what this place was or where it went, but was glad that they were now travelling in a way in which they wouldn't be noticed. Despite the cramped conditions, she felt a lot more at ease crawling through these shafts than walking through the halls below where capture was much more likely.

Crawling was slower than walking, but without constantly having to stop and look for enemies, they were in fact making greater progress than they had been before. Karin didn't know for sure how far they had gone or how far they had left to go, but instinctively felt that they were getting closer to escape. It was only a matter of time before she got out of this place and went back to Seireitei.

"_Beware, Karin."_

"Denryu?" Karin said in surprise, "What do you-"

Before Karin could finish her sentence however, there was a loud noise that caused the shaft they were crawling through to shudder. All who were in the shaft stopped, looking around in confusion. Then there was another one, this one seeming to come from just beside them. The creatures began grunting amongst themselves in panic.

"Hurry! We've gotta get out of here!" Karin said. They began crawling as fast as they could, but before they could get far, there was another loud noise, this one accompanied by an explosion right in front of them that blew off the side of the shaft. Acrid smoke filled the enclosed space, causing them to cough and making their eyes water.

Another explosion occurred right behind them, this one making the shaft shake violently. As they coughed in the smoke, there was a horrible loud creaking noise, followed by a sudden jolt as the section of the shaft they were on collapsed. The end behind them came down hard on the ground beneath, making Karin and the creatures accompanying her fall backwards down the broken section of shaft.

They found themselves lying in a pile of ceiling fragments on the floor. As Karin forced herself up, she heard the sound she dreaded most. A sickening, high pitched cackle drew her eyes to Usagi Usaki, standing triumphantly with his black rod in one hand and his pistol in the other. Karin now noticed several holes in the ceiling, no doubt where Usagi had fired his weapon to bring them down. No longer wearing his dark glasses, his horrible throbbing purple 'eyes' made him look like a demon as he leered down at them.

"Well, well, well, what do you know? Looks like my servants are traitors! Not that I expected much of a bunch of mindless animals to begin with of course," Usagi chuckled, "Now then, Karin Kurosaki, I'll be returning you to your cell to resume what we started."

Karin shook, partly in fear, but mostly in anger. Anger for being forcibly taken from her brother and friends. Anger for being tortured. But most of all, anger for being treated as if she were worthless. She would make her stand here. She wouldn't allow Usagi to treat her like dirt ever again.

"Repel, Denryu!" she yelled as she drew her Zanpakuto. Denryu straightened, taking its shikai form of a rapier. Karin did not hesitate for a second, immediately lunging for Usagi, the tip of her Zanpakuto aimed for his chest. Usagi jerked his black rod up, pushing the point of Karin's sword upwards so that the sides of their weapons were pressed against each other.

"So you wanna fight over it, huh?" Usagi smirked, "Fine by me; after all the trouble you've given me, I'm looking forward to giving you a well deserved thrashing. But first, please excuse me while I take care of a few ungrateful pests." Usagi raised his pistol to shoot the small creatures that had once been his servants.

"No!" Karin yelled, forcing his weapon back and slamming herself against Usagi's outstretched arm. A blast of blue energy was launched, but thanks to Karin it impacted harmlessly with a nearby wall. Before he had the chance to shoot again, Karin swung her sword in an arc, cleaving the pistol in two with a shower of sparks.

"Why you little-! I'm going to make you pay for that!" Usagi snarled, tossing away the useless remains of the pistol and swinging his weapon at her. Karin blocked it, glancing anxiously at the creatures that were now at risk of being caught in the crossfire. She noticed that only one end of the shaft they had crawled through had collapsed, and that the other end remained tenuously connected. If they could crawl through that… no, Usagi would never give her the chance… but if Karin could just keep him occupied… yes, that would work. Karin would just have to make her own way out.

"Run!" she yelled at the creatures, "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, just get out while you can!"

The creatures looked at her for a second, some clutching small knives and looking like they might rush to help her, but eventually they did as she said, and began scrambling up the broken shaft.

"Not so fast! You vermin won't escape my wrath!" Usagi yelled, throwing a silver sphere that Karin recognized as one of his bombs. Thinking quickly, she swung her Zanpakuto so that the tip nearly touched the bomb.

"Antei Teisei!" Karin said. A sphere of bright blue static surrounded the device that Usagi threw as it seemed to stop in mid-air on the tip of Karin's Zanpakuto. Karin flicked her sword to the side, releasing the device in another direction away from the fleeing creatures. The screen of static around the device quickly disappeared, but when the weapon hit the ground across the room, it did not explode, but simply let out a pop and began to leak a thin wisp of smoke.

"What did you do?" Usagi said in anger and shock, quickly backing away for fear that Karin would use another new technique.

"It's called Antei Teisei. It uses the electromagnetism of my Zanapkuto to alter volatile or unstable substances and devices so that they become stabilized and harmless. I assume that it alters electrons or atomic structure to render unstable substances harmless, I don't really know for sure. I was only a C-average student when it came to physics after all," Karin allowed herself a slight smirk at the sight of Usagi's visible shock, "In any case, I discovered the principle behind this technique shortly before you kidnapped me, and all the time you made me spend in my cell gave me a good opportunity to meditate on it and perfect it."

"I see; it looks like this will be a contest of fencing then," Usagi giggled.

"What do you mean?" Karin asked, glancing aside as the last of the creatures escaped.

"Look at the way you're holding your sword," Usagi said. Karin didn't move. She wasn't going to fall for a trick to make her lose focus, she already knew exactly how she was holding her sword. She held it in one hand with her arm straight, the tip pointed at Usagi's feet, ready to be raised for attack or used to parry one of his strikes.

"Well if you won't answer, I will," Usagi said, "What you carry is known as a rapier. Unlike the Katana that Shinigami traditionally use, it is a weapon not for slashing, cutting, and chopping, but for thrusting and stabbing. When two rapier-users face off, they do not block each other's blows, they parry them. The point is the most vital area for a rapier; in the human world, they sometimes don't even sharpen the sides. Of course, for you things are a bit different. Thanks to your ability, the sides of your Zanpakuto can be used just as effectively as the tip. Electromagnetic pulses allow you to easily bat away heavier blades, and by using it right you can even use it to rip through metal, as you demonstrated with my gun earlier. By using pulses to make it vibrate, you can even shear through non metallic substances. It is a truly useful weapon."

"Thanks, but I still don't get what you're trying to say," Karin said.

"Fine, let me spell it out for you. This is my weapon, Muchiyari," Usagi held up his pointed black rod, "As you probably noticed, only the point is sharpened. What you probably didn't notice was that I designed it myself, and that it has an internal crystal structure as hard as diamond. As it is so hard and not made of metal, it renders your techniques useless. Of course, that new ability you just demonstrated also renders most of my gadgets useless as well, so this will just be a good old fashioned sparring match."

"Fine by me," Karin said defiantly.

"Of course, don't think for a second that you can win," Usagi said, "You'll need to deliver quite a few strikes to me before I'll go down, where as I only need to give you a single scratch and you'll be down courtesy of my own special blend of toxin. Don't get too confident, you little runt."

At this, Karin suddenly grinned and stifled a bit of laughter, causing Usagi's eyes to narrow.

"What precisely is so funny?" he asked coldly.

"Oh it's nothing," Karin smirked, "It's just that now that you're not on that glider or torturing me, I realized that you're only a little taller than I am. Pretty short for a guy, don't you think?"

"That is irrelevant at the moment," Usagi said coldly, visibly angry at Karin's taunt, "Let's begin this."

"Yes, let's. _Little runt_."


	43. Chapter 43

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 43_

"Do you sense her?" Toushiro asked in a hushed voice.

"No," Momo said, her eyes closed and her hand touching the ground, "I can't feel even a trace of her reiatsu. It's likely that they sealed her power when they imprisoned her."

"Maybe, but I can't help but feel there's something else; something is keeping us from noticing Karin," Toushiro said thoughtfully.

"We need to keep looking, that's all we can do right now," Momo said, standing up to continue walking down the corridor.

"Wait," Toushiro said, putting out an arm to stop her, "Isn't it odd? We've been going down this passageway for a long time, but there have been no doors or even other halls meeting up with it. Furthermore, the corridors we took earlier had all kinds of twists and turns, but this one is completely straight. It's too unusual."

"What are you saying?" Momo asked.

She did not receive a reply. Instead, Toushiro suddenly drew his Zanpakuto. Momo immediately copied his action, taking Tobiume out of its sheath.

"What is it? Is someone coming?" she asked anxiously.

Again, Toushiro did not answer. Momo was about to ask again when he suddenly swung his blade against the wall, creating a long gash.

"What are you doing?" Momo said in shock. Toushiro did not pay attention to her question, taking another swing at the wall, then another, then another. Momo watched in confusion as her friend slashed wildly at the wall.

"Toushiro, you're making too much noise! If you keep this up we might get noticed!" Momo said urgently.

"We've already been noticed," Toushiro responded.

"What?"

Toushiro drew his sword back and stabbed at the wall, his blade piercing deep into it. For a second, nothing happened. Then, there was a bright flash of light, followed by a number of cracks appearing. But the cracks weren't just on the area of wall that Toushiro struck; they were on the opposite wall, the ceiling, and the floor as well. Fractures spread all over the passageway. There was another flash, this one coming from each and every crack, and the walls suddenly exploded, disintegrating into the air.

Momo and Toushiro now found themselves inside of a vast enclosed area. It was dimly lit, but the huge size of the room was quite evident.

"Welcome, my esteemed intruders," a deep voice said. Momo and Toushiro looked up to see a man standing upon a ledge on the nearest wall. He jumped down, his cloak billowing behind him as he dropped to the ground. He was grey-haired with a finely trimmed beard and an authoritative look about him.

"Aurion," Toushiro said under his breath. Aurion took several steps towards them, prompting Momo and Toushiro to hold their Zanpakuto up defensively.

"You bring your weapons forth so soon? My, my, children today are so quick to resort to violence," Aurion said, "Do not worry, I only wish to speak with you. Perhaps we will come to an understanding so as to avoid any violence."

"Don't take us for fools," Toushiro retorted, "We know about you and what you've done. You may think of yourself as some reformer or idealist, but you're just a maniac who will gladly sacrifice the lives of others for the sake of your own ambitions. Soul Society has already been ravaged multiple times because of you and your allies. Do not believe for a moment that we could ever trust you."

"You give me too much credit," Aurion smiled, "I'm just an old man trying to help the world in his own way."

"If your intentions are so pure, return Karin!" Momo said.

"Karin Kurosaki will be released when my plan is complete," Aurion said, "In the mean time, I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"We're not interested in games, Aurion. Where is Karin Kurosaki?" Toushiro yelled.

"What would compel me to tell you?" Aurion said, "Age has not treated me as well as my old friend Yamamoto, but I'm still more than powerful enough to defeat a pair of children. Now let me ask you my question: What is your greatest source of misery?"

"We're not answering any of your questions," Toushiro growled.

"That's okay, I already know, Mr. Hitsugaya, Miss Hinamori," Aurion said with a grim smile, "I was quite saddened to learn of the pain you two have gone through. It's a terrible thing to be forced upon such young children."

"He's trying to get into your head, don't let him," Toushiro whispered.

"I know," Momo said.

"You believe I am trying to trick you? I assure you, I only speak the truth that you refuse to acknowledge, namely that your suffering is the fault of Seireitei's refusal to change. Had Seireitei been run the way I wanted, the pain you've been through would not even exist."

"You speak nothing but nonsense," Toushiro growled.

"Is it nonsense? If the reforms I desired had been in place, Sousuke Aizen would have been discovered before he had the chance to threaten Soul Society. Even if he weren't caught, his plans would never have worked. In my system, he'd never be able to impersonate the Central 46 so as to issue a false execution order. The Central 46 would have been more open to scrutiny and there would have been safeguards in place for tricks like what Aizen pulled. Furthermore, I would have placed oversight over technological research so that an object as evil as the Hogokyu would never have been created."

"Aizen still would have found a way to get around those measures," Toushiro said, "Now that it's already happened, it is easy to look back and say 'Oh if only we'd done this' or 'We should have done that', but the cold hard truth is that without being aware of what would happen, Aizen's actions would have been impossible to stop."

"Perhaps, but had things gone my way, the two of you would never have been involved," Aurion said.

"What do you mean?" Momo asked, her voice shaking at all the talk about Aizen.

"I mean that you two would never have been allowed to become officers in my world," Aurion said, "I'll acknowledge that you are powerful – you broke through my illusion barrier after all – but you should never have been allowed to become a Captain and a Vice-Captain to begin with. Children as young as yourselves have no place on the battlefield, and it's because you were put in that position that you have suffered so greatly."

"I'll have you know that I'm 112 years old, and Momo is 159!" Toushiro said, his face turning red.

"You are children," Aurion said firmly, "You are easily controlled by emotion, vulnerable to trauma, and impulsive – as your coming here would demonstrate. You should have been taught to control your reiatsu and them put on reserve until you were old enough. You are too young to bear the responsibility and heavy personal cost that comes with being officers. You have both been put through tragedies you should never have been subjected to. Wouldn't your lives be better if you had not gotten so deeply involved with the Shinigami? The same goes for the Kurosaki girl; if you Shinigami had not seen fit to train her in combat so early, she would not be in her current situation. It saddens me to see Seireitei making use of child soldiers and putting them through such trauma."

Toushiro growled. There was a bit of truth to what Aurion said. If he and Momo had been deemed too young to become officers, Aizen would never have had the chance to mold her into his loyal subordinate the way he did, and they would not have been pulled into the chaos he started. Momo would not have gone through such physical and mental trauma and their friendship would not have been so badly shaken. It wouldn't have happened if they weren't Shinigami.

All of the memories of Momo's suffering flashed through his head. Momo going berserk at the sight of Aizen's 'corpse' and nearly giving Ichimaru the excuse to kill her. Momo attacking him after reading Aizen's letter, crying that she didn't know what to believe in anymore. Momo lying in a pool of blood on the floors of Central 46. Momo in a coma, barely alive after Aizen's attack. Momo with dark shadows under her eyes, so thin and weak that she looked like she could barely stand up, all while begging him to save Aizen in a delusional state. Momo finally acknowledging the truth about Aizen, no longer delusional but depressed and ashamed of herself. It didn't have to happen. If only they could have remained with Granny in Rukongai, the pain of having to watch Momo go through such trauma would never have occurred in the first place. Aurion spoke the truth; had his method of rule been in place, Momo and Toushiro would not have been introduced to such harsh lives. But it had already happened, and giving in to Aurion would not do anything to change the past. He opened his mouth to speak, only for Momo to begin before him.

"Such speculation is pointless. Nothing you do will erase what has happened. I will never forget the pain I've been through, and some days I do wish that I had never become a Shinigami, but then I think of how many friends I've made, and of how much stronger I am now. It's obvious that you don't care about us or anyone else for that matter, only your plans. If you were so concerned about the suffering of young people, you wouldn't have kidnapped Karin! You're just like _him_! You act kind and noble, but underneath you're a vicious sociopath! I fell for that charm once before, and I never will again! If you think that we'll ever join up with you, you're more delusional that I once was!"

Toushiro stared in amazement at Momo. Her eyes were filled with conviction, and there was not a hint of doubt in her words. Despite the serious situation they were in, Toushiro could not help but feel proud of his friend.

"I see," Aurion said slowly, "I didn't want it to come to this, but it looks like I have no choice but to cross blades with you."

Momo and Toushiro immediately took action.

"Bankai! _Daiguren Hyourinmaru_!"

"Bankai! _Kogo-Fushicho Tobiume_!"

Momo and Toushiro both grew wings as their Bankai activated. Toushiro's were of ice, Momo's of scarlet-gold feathers. They readied themselves for battle as Aurion stared at them.

"A dragon and a phoenix, eh? Very impressive for a couple of youngsters, but it won't be enough before a god." Aurion drew his Zanpakuto, a straight double-edged sword with a western-style guard. "Smite them, Kami!"

* * *

"What… What the hell is this place?" Ichigo said in shock.

"I think you said it yourself just now," Rangiku said in horror, "Hell is the only word to describe this place."

Ichigo, Rukia, and Rangiku stood at the entrance of a large room filled with all manner of horrific sights. On a table was the remains of what Ichigo thought might have been one of Usagi's minions, though he could not be sure as it had been completely skinned and dissected. Several glass tanks held mutilated and altered animals. There was a baby monkey with its eyelids sewn shut, a cat with several spikes embedded in its spinal cord with tubes coming out, and a creature devoid of hair and covered in horrible blisters that might have been a raccoon.

"That's sick," Rukia shuddered. Bracing themselves for more horrible sights, they walked further into the room. It appeared to be some type of horrific laboratory for experimentation on live subjects. There were lines of jars with preserved organs of various animals, with notes indicating the experiments performed on them. Ichigo had to turn away in nausea from a preserved brain with a number of spongy holes in it. Hundreds of beakers and test-tubes were scattered around the room.

"Hey, look at this," Rangiku said, pointing to several glass cases on the ground. There were four cases in total, three containing rats and one containing guinea pigs. In each case, there were three dead animals covered in bite marks and a single, wide-eyed live one that was shaking. The live animals took to rushing against the glass of their containers upon seeing the three Shinigami, desperately trying to attack them.

"Those animals have reiatsu," Rangiku said, "Most animals don't naturally have strong reiatsu. These ones must have been forced to undergo alteration that left them unbalanced."

"Ichigo! Vice-Captain Matsumoto! Get over here quickly!" Rukia suddenly yelled in a strangled voice. Ichigo and Rangiku promptly made their way through the maze of lab equipment to where Rukia was, where they were immediately confronted with a truly horrific sight.

Floating in four tanks were gaunt, emaciated humans connected to many wires and tubes, their limbs removed and their eyes closed.

"What… What is this?" Ichigo said in horror.

"Take a look for yourself," Rukia said grimly, pointing to a crate filled with small silver tubes nearby.

"Those are… Ginto," Ichigo said slowly, "So… these are Quincy?"

"Yeah, that must be it," Rangiku said grimly, "That Usagi Uzaki guy was seen using Quincy Ginto to power his weapons. This must be where he got them."

"I guess this explains why he wanted Uryu. These Quincy are all dead. He must have been looking for a fresh fuel source," Rukia said. Ichigo clenched his fist in anger.

"That bastard…" he growled, "That sick, twisted bastard. To do something like this… and he wanted to do it to Uryu too… and now… Karin…"

"Don't think about that," Rukia hurriedly said, "All we can do is look for her as fast as we can. Panicking won't do us any good."

"Y-Yes, I know. But still… let's hurry," Ichigo said, trying to push the horrible thoughts of what Usagi might have done to Karin out of his head.

* * *

"Hya!" Usagi laughed, taking a jab at Karin. Karin reflexively took a step back, thrusting Denryu forward as she did so. Usagi knocked the blade aside and continued his assault.

Their duel was not visually magnificent, consisting only of them stabbing at each other and parrying one another's blades while engaging in footwork to set themselves up for an advantage, but the battle was very intense, as Karin knew very well.

Sweat formed on her face as she carefully parried or dodged each of Usagi's blows, at the same time making attacks of her own. She knew that her very life was at stake in this battle. If she lost, the chances of her surviving were virtually non-existent. She kept everything that Momo had taught her in mind as she battled, knowing that a single slip up would mean death.

Usagi did not seem nearly as tense, laughing and grinning as they battled, but his attacks were ferocious and carefully coordinated. What he lacked in power and strength, Usagi made up for it skill and, more importantly, trickiness. It took a great deal of wits to see through Usagi's many feints and tricks, and Karin had nearly fallen for them several times. He would frequently try to lure Karin in closer to him or make her believe there was an opening in his defense only for him to swiftly exploit her mistake. There was no question that he was a truly difficult opponent.

"You're getting tired, I see," Usagi grinned, "I can see your muscles straining and your stance sagging. It's only a matter of time before I get my chance! Remember, I only need to give you the tiniest prick and you're mine."

"Then I won't let you!" Karin said, knocking away one of Usagi's blows, "I may not have been a Shinigami for long, but I had a great teacher! I trained hard under her so that I could beat people like you! Furthermore, I've spent the entire time you've kept me here meditating on my training and going over your combat style in my head! I am going to beat you, Usagi Uzaki!"

With that, Karin lunged at Usagi, her sword pointed at his chest. Usagi promptly brought his weapon up to deflect it, but was only able to push it up. As he did so, Karin slid her blade forward against his rod, causing the tip to pierce and tear the edge of Usagi's coat. Usagi immediately took a step back, looking angry for an instant only to grin seconds later.

"You say that you've studied my combat style, but you're forgetting that the key element of my combat style is unpredictability and surprise!" Usagi said with a laugh.

With that, he swung his weapon downwards. Karin raised her sword to block, but the instant that the black rod came into contact with her sword, it suddenly went loose, becoming pliable and whip-like. Usagi flicked his wrist, and before Karin could even react, the tip of the whip sliced into Karin's face leaving a cut across her left cheek. Karin's eyes widened in shock at what just happened as Usagi grinned triumphantly.

"Game over," he snickered, returning his weapon to its rigid form.


	44. Chapter 44

_A/N_: Thank you to Taeniaea, The Great Pineapple MEKI, war90, Turtle-chan in Blue, Sneaky Jam, alamodie, DigiPal, nexuswarrior, and jarnee337 for reviewing last chapter! Please read and review!

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 44_

The stinging cut on Karin's cheek left her frozen in shock. That tiny wound spelled her doom as surely as if she had been stabbed through the heart. Already the area around the cut began to feel numb. It would only be a matter of minutes before she was left completely immobile. She tried desperately to think of something she could do, but no matter how hard she tried, she was unable to escape the simple reality of the situation: it was over for her.

Usagi grinned triumphantly, giggling to himself as he approached Karin.

"You see? I told you it was pointless to resist me. You see, when I decide I want something, I always get it, and right now I want you," Usagi said, closing in on Karin.

Amidst her shock, frustration, and fear, there was a sudden surge of anger within Karin. She had been angry before, obviously, but now she felt something entirely different. It wasn't just anger for the tortures Usagi had put her through, it was so much more. Never in Karin's life had she felt such hatred and contempt for another person. Everything about Usagi filled her with rage: that smug smirk on his face, those hideous 'eyes' that looked like a pair of some sort of infected organ, his constant chuckling and giggling, the way he looked down on her, his trickery and cowardice in battle…

She hated him so damn much she couldn't even understand it.

"Why don't you put that sword down?" Usagi said with a smirk, "Of course, you'll lose your ability to hold it soon anyway, but it would certainly be a nice gesture to make while you still have a bit of control over your muscles."

Instead of dropping her sword however, Karin swung it with all her strength. Usagi, apparently expecting her to drop to the ground at any moment, was caught by surprise. Stepping back, he managed to avoid losing his head to Karin's blade, but ended up with a wound on his face matching Karin's.

"H-How?" he said, displaying a very rare expression of shock, "How can you still move? I developed that poison myself! Your muscles should be useless right now! I know I hit you! What the hell did you do?"

Karin did not answer him, instead focusing on her own body, which she realized was not going numb the way it did in the past when subjected to Usagi's poison. She flexed her limbs and opened and closed her hands to be sure, and grinned when she was sure that she had complete control over her body.

"I don't know why, but I guess that paralyzing stuff isn't as well-designed as you thought," she said.

"No, it can't be. Everything I design is as perfect as I am!" Usagi shouted, "It was those miserable treacherous creatures, wasn't it? They gave you the antidote – no, snuck it into your food! No wait – I destroyed all doses of the antidote three months ago! They can't have gotten hold of it! Was I sabotaged? Was my poison diluted? No, who would dare cross me? Could you have built up an immunity? I subjected you to the poison about eight or nine times… but none of the test subjects developed immunity! That can't be! It doesn't have such a flaw! This is ridiculous! Unimaginable! Absolutely-"

He was cut off by another attack by Karin, this one a thrusting attack, that he just barely managed to side step and counterattack with his weapon.

"Sorry to interrupt your rant, but I'm hoping to get out of here as soon as I can, and I don't care to waste time listening to you complain about your poison not working the right way," Karin said.

"Don't bother worrying about time," Usagi sneered, "The amount of time you have left depends on how long I intend to play around with you before killing you! I've given up on keeping you as a live specimin; now I think I'd just like to study your remains. It's a shame I won't have a perfect specimin, but with one as uncooperative as yourself, it's the only option. I look forward to seeing your face as I kill you."

Usagi's weapon went back into its whip form, and he swung it at Karin. This time she was prepared, however, dodging the whip strike and swinging her sword at Usagi, forcing him to return his weapon to its rigid state so that he could block it. While her sword was locked against his weapon, Usagi reached into his robes with his free hand to pull out a pair of sharp-edged metal disks, which he threw at Karin with a flick of his wrist. They were not fast enough, however, and Karin was able to duck her head to avoid them.

"That was a desperate move," Karin noted, "That sort of weapon is designed to be thrown from a distance, and does not have enough force at close range. Of course, if you threw it from a distance I would have been able to use Antei Teisei to deflect them. The outcome of this match is decided. Your poison doesn't affect me, I destroyed your gun, any grenade or other throwing weapon you have is useless thanks to Antei Teisei, and that weapon of yours is insufficient to deliver killing blows of its own. Your true nature is clear to me now: you're not strong enough to beat others with your own strength, so you use tricks and deceit to defeat opponents stronger than you. When your weapons are rendered useless, you're not even strong enough to beat me, and I've been training for less than a year. It's over, Usagi Usaki. Surrender, or I will have to kill you."

Usagi seemed to shake in anger for a moment, but suddenly grinned and let out a harsh laugh.

"You? Kill me?" he shrieked, "Me, Usagi Uzaki, killed by the likes of you? Oh, that's rich! You never told me you were a comedian! Aren't you forgetting something? I hold the key to your life!"

Usagi leapt back from Karin and reached into his robes, pulling out a small device with several buttons on it. "As long as that bomb is still inside you, your life remains only on my whim! And that whim just ended! This won't be as painful as I would have liked, but it will do. See you in hell, Karin Kurosaki!" Usagi pressed a button on the device.

Nothing happened.

The look of absolute glee on Usagi's face rapidly changed to surprise, then to confusion and finally to anger.

"What...? No… No! No, that's impossible!" he angrily screamed, "That was one of my best bombs! Designed specifically to remain active even within a person's digestive tract! You should be a pile of burning meat chunks right now! How? How do you keep making a mockery of my glorious creations?"

Karin had a look of enormous relief on her face, sighing in relief before answering Usagi.

"I'm glad it worked. I wasn't sure it would, but I'm glad I tried it," she said.

"What? What did you do?" Usagi said in agitation.

"Once, back when I was alive, my sister Yuzu decided to make my brother's computer all pretty, so she put all sorts of decorations on it," Karin said casually, barely suppressing a laugh, "One of those decorations was a big magnet in the shape of a ladybug. Do you know what happens when a computer gets too close to a strong magnet?"

"You bitch…" Usagi growled. Karin smirked at him.

"That's right, magnets really mess up computers and things with electronic components. That includes your bomb. I knew that something like that would have to have some sort of electronics involved, so the solution was clear. All I needed was a magnet, but where to find one? That's when I remembered: my Zanpakuto manipulates electromagnetism! As soon as I got my Zanpakuto back, I directed electromagnetic waves towards my stomach where the bomb was. I was afraid it wouldn't work, but it looks like my worries were unnecessary. So Usagi, will you reconsider your answer? Your last trump card is gone. You still have a chance to surrender."

"Never…" Usagi whispered furiously, "Never! Not in a thousand years!"

"That's what I thought," Karin said with a grim smile.

* * *

Aurion's Zanpakuto glowed a bright golden white for a moment, only for it to return to normal within seconds. Momo and Toushiro did not let their guards down for a second, however. They knew that if they made even the slightest mistake, they could end up losing their lives.

"Momo, how much control do you have over your Bankai?" Toushiro said quietly, careful not to take his eyes off of Aurion.

"Not enough," Momo admitted, "Tenra is right out of the question, and the heat blasts are too unstable to be used reliably. The only thing I can confidently say I can handle is amplified Kido."

"Fine, then you'll be my support," Toushiro said, "I'll engage him directly, you support me with Kido. Got it?"

"Yeah," Momo said.

While they whispered to eachother, Aurion raised his sword so that it was vertically in front of of him.

"First curse," he rumbled, "Gnats."

His blade suddenly turned black. He flicked his wrist, and a huge cloud of tiny insects appeared from the sword. They immediately flew towards Momo and Toushiro, who were soon engulfed by the swarm.

The insects were tiny, smaller than a pinhead, but they were extremely numerous. Neither Momo nor Toushiro even tried to avoid the massive number of tiny creatures bearing down on them. The gnats quickly covered them, flying into their eyes, ears, and nostrils and crawling all over their skin. Momo and Toushiro spat out the bugs that flew into their mouth, but neither of them dropped their stances, which seemed to impress Aurion.

"You are both very disciplined," he commented, "Many would lose their composure and leave openings in their defense when confronted with this technique. You two are barely distracted at all. However, let's see if you can ignore this so easily. Second curse, fire."

With a swing of his sword, Aurion summoned a wall of flames that rushed toward Momo and Toushiro.

"Bakudo 45, Soft Water Shield!" Momo shouted. Momo and Toushiro were immediately surrounded by a bubble of what seemed to be water. When the flames came into contact with it, the barrier rippled a bit but held.

"Third curse," Aurion said, "Drought."

As if under intense heat, the water barrier that Momo had summoned suddenly dried up. Before Aurion could do anything else, Toushiro counter-attacked, swinging his sword to summon an ice dragon. When his sword finished its arc, however, no ice dragon appeared.

"You're still under the effect of my 'drought' you know," Aurion said, "Your ice powers will do you no good here. If you wish to defeat me, you'll have to come and fight me up close like a man."

Toushiro didn't budge. He knew perfectly well that he couldn't win against Aurion. This was the man who supposedly had been as strong as Yamamoto in his youth. He had far more experience than Toushiro, and have been able to easily defeat both of them. Toushiro had no idea why they had lasted as long as they had.

"Toushiro, I have an idea," Momo said, "With his powers, a long range fight is out of the question. At the same time however, we can't match him in power so such a fight would be suicide. Our only choice is to alter the playing field so that we have a chance."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just trust me," Momo smiled.

"Whatever you say…"

Momo straightened up and clasped her hands together. Reiatsu gathered around her.

"Oh great wise ones, let us seek the truth! Free us from this limited plane. May we seek the knowledge from good and evil, wise man and fool! Take us above our petty understanding, to another time and another place! Bakudo 97, Blue Mist!"

Everything seemed to freeze. A bright white light flashed, followed by a fog of blue that swirled around them. The next thing they knew, they were no longer in the room Aurion had led them into. They didn't seem to be anywhere at all, in fact. There were no walls, no ceiling, not even a floor. There was nothing but Momo, Toushiro, Aurion, and a few wisps of blue-tinted mist.

"What is this place?" Aurion asked calmly, his eyes narrowed. Hw didn't seem panicked, but did not have his calm demeanor from before.

"We have been taken into the Blue Mist," Momo said, "In our reality, we could never beat you, you're simply too powerful. This place doesn't exist within our reality, however. It is outside of time and reality as you know it. I make the rules here. Here we can defeat you."


	45. Chapter 45

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 45_

"Impressive. Most impressive," Aurion said, "You created this spell yourself, I presume?"

"Yes," Momo said, her hands still clasped together, "Before, I only had enough reiatsu to hold it for a few seconds, but now… well, you'll see."

"I suppose I'll begin then. Second curse, fire," Aurion said with a wave of his blade. A wall of flames were summoned, but this time they almost immediately went out.

"That is indeed impressive," Aurion said, "But the two of you are centuries away from defeating me. Did my old colleague Yamamoto tell you about my powers? I doubt it; chances are he only informed you of how vast they were. Well let me fill you in. When I was young, I was nicknamed "Bringer of the ten curses". It was an apt name, as I do indeed possess the power to bring about ten curses: gnats, fire, drought, disease, sulfur, earthquakes, tidal waves, storms, darkness, and death. I was considered a unique case, for I have no Bankai, yet my Shikai is capable of bringing about such carnage that I surpass nearly all Bankai users."

"I won't allow you to use those powers," Momo said, "I already told you, this is my world, and in my world, Toushiro can beat you."

Aurion laughed at this. "My dear, do you really think that after thousands of years, I am completely reliant on my powers? I will defeat you with or without my abilities."

Momo glanced at Toushiro, to which he nodded and charged at Aurion, his sword drawn.

Aurion raised his sword and deflected the strike. Toushiro slashed at Aurion's neck, only to be blocked again.

"As I thought, the strength of your blows are weak. It's to be expected from a mere child," Aurion said, looking down at Toushiro. Toushiro slashed at Aurion's feet, to which Aurion leaped into the air to avoid.

Toushiro continued his attack, cutting and stabbing at Aurion, only for most of his blows to be blocked. Aurion retaliated with his own strike. Despite his elderly appearance, there was much power behind it, and Toushiro was sent reeling back. He didn't have time to recompose himself, as Aurion went on the offensive, slashing at him with both strength and finesse. Caught off guard, Toushiro was forced to guard himself with his Bankai's wings, which Aurion sheared large chunks of ice off of. Toushiro quickly regrew the severed portions and went back on the attack. He went higher into the air, swinging his ice sword in Aurion's direction and summoning a massive wave of water and ice in the form of a dragon.

Aurion was forced into a defensive position as he dodged the icy dragon, which Toushiro promptly took advantage of, rushing towards him and swinging his sword in a powerful overhand blow which seemed to make Aurion shake when it collided with his own sword. Aurion attempted to slide his blade down Toushiro's to position himself for a counter-attack, but Toushiro swung the tail of ice of his Bankai at him, which sent Aurion flying back.

He skidded to a stop in time to see Toushiro summon a block of ice which he promptly shattered, creating dozens of ice spears. Toushiro launched them like missiles at Aurion, who was again forced to evade the attack. He managed to cut down several of the icy projectiles, but one of them pierced his fine cloak, something which Aurion seemed to take exceptional notice to.

Aurion was not about to let himself be beaten down, however. He leapt into the air, closing the distance between himself and Toushiro while delivering a series of extremely fast attacks. There was no doubt in Toushiro's mind that the stories of Aurion's skill were in no way an exaggeration. He was clearly a very skilled swordsman, and was fully capable of deadly attacks even without his powers. Aurion's blade slashed downwards, grazing Toushiro across the shoulder but causing no serious injury. Toushiro quickly used ice to numb the wound and stop the bleeding.

With a grunt, he swung his wings forward, forcing Aurion closer to him as they fought and giving them both more limited ability to swing their swords. Toushiro used this opportunity to slash his sword in a wide arc, knowing that it would be difficult to block or avoid in this position. Aurion proved him wrong, however.

Swinging his sword from a downward position into and upright position, Aurion both cut off the tip of one of Toushiro's wings and blocked the strike. Surprised, Toushiro leaped back and summoned another block of ice which he shattered into ice spears again.

This time when he launched them however, Aurion did not move out of the way.

"Second curse, fire!" he said, summoning flames that collided with the ice spears. The fire was snuffed out as quickly as it had been summoned, but it was enough to melt the ice spears and render Toushiro's attack useless.

"Hm, it seems that this technique to seal my powers is weakening," he noted, glancing at Momo who did indeed look quite tired as she maintained the Kido spell.

"Then I'll just have to beat you quickly," Toushiro said, regrowing his wing and flying at Aurion.

"Ninth curse, darkness," Aurion said calmly.

The next thing Toushiro knew, he had been engulfed in inky blackness without even a speck of light. That only lasted a moment, however, as light soon appeared, and the blue mist seemed to eat away at all of the darkness. Slightly disoriented, Toushiro realized that Aurion was no longer in front of him. He turned, only to be a confronted with a sight that made his blood run cold.

Aurion stood in front of Momo, his sword plunged through her chest. He withdrew it, and Momo swayed for a moment before collapsing on her side.

"Momo! No!" Toushiro yelled, immediately dashing towards his friend. Aurion raised his sword to fight, but Toushiro, too upset to even think straight, let out a burst of reiatsu that knocked Aurion back a few feet and forced him to reconsider his attack. He ended up backing away from the two Shinigami.

"_Please be alive… Please be alive…"_ Toushiro thought frantically as he leaned over Momo's body. The wound to her chest was bleeding badly, and her breath was weak and raspy. Toushiro was about to attempt healing Kido when Momo's wings suddenly glowed white and dissolved. The wound on her chest began to heal; soon closing up as Momo's breathing began to return to normal. She opened her eyes to look up at Toushiro.

"Shiro-chan…" she said rather weakly.

"Stay still, I'll handle it from here," he said, touching her hand reassuringly before stand up to face Aurion. He noticed that the Blue Mist spell had disappeared. He wasn't sure when it had happened, for he was so full of anger that he could not think of anything but defeating Aurion.

He shook in rage as he looked at Momo's blood on the tip of Aurion's sword. With an enraged yell, he swung his sword and created a torrent of water and ice, directing it straight at Aurion.

"Third curse, drought," Aurion said. The ice dragon began to evaporate, and had disappeared by the time it would have reached Aurion. At the same time, the ice that composed Toushiro's wings began to slowly crumble away, Aurion's drought curse apparently affecting both liquid and solid water.

Toushiro paid no attention however, and immediately summoned an even larger dragon of ice and water, sending the raging torrent at Aurion again. This time, it only partially evaporated, and Aurion was forced to get out of the way to avoid being frozen solid. He seemed perplexed by Toushiro's ability to still use water despite his curse of drought. Toushiro immediately launched another huge blast of ice at him, which he again had to dodge, as this one barely evaporated at all.

"Your rage and desire to punish me for harming your friend are bringing out your full capabilities," Aurion noted, "You might actually be able to withstand my power for a short while."

Toushiro did not pay attention to him, his Bankai now growing more ice than it was losing to Aurion's curse. Soon, his wings were larger than before. With a shout, he summoned another mighty ice dragon. This time however, it turned around almost immediately to engulf Toushiro.

It was then that his Bankai began to change. His wings grew to massive proportions. Ice covered his entire body, forming great claws on his hands and feet. The ice encased his chest like armor, and had soon covered his head in the shape of a dragon's face. When it was over, Toushiro was not even visible, completely encased in ice. He raised his sword and gave a scream as he charged at Aurion, the dragon shaped ice helmet distorting and amplifying his voice to make it sound almost like a roar.

He arrived in front of Aurion much sooner than Aurion had been expecting, his speed vastly increased in this new form. He swung his sword viciously, using strength he had never before possessed. As he clashed blades with Aurion, he swung his mighty ice tail at him like a cudgel, forcing Aurion to dodge and knocking him off balance. He grabbed Aurion with his free hand and effortlessly tossed him across the room.

Aurion skidded to a halt on his feet, Toushiro still charging at him, and raised his Zanpakuto. "Second curse, fire!" he said, his voice more strained than before. Fire appeared, promptly surrounding Toushiro completely. With just a flick of his wings however, Toushiro beat the flames back, the ice of his armor barely even melting.

"Sixth curse, earthquake!" Aurion said. The ground around them began to shake at Aurion's command. The floor beneath Toushiro fissured, making Toushiro lose his balance and almost causing him to fall in. Aurion closed the distance between them and slashed at Toushiro even as the shaking continued. Toushiro blocked his strikes, but then a chunk of ceiling fell upon his back, breaking off a large piece of his wing and distracting him long enough for Aurion to slash through the ice armor and into his chest.

As the tremors stopped, Toushiro grasped his wound and panted. The amount of power he was using was beginning to take its toll. The rage he felt towards Aurion for harming Momo allowed him to access power that had previously been inaccessible to him, but now it seemed that his grip on this power was slipping.

"I think I'll end this now," Aurion said, "Ninth curse, darkness."

Toushiro was again engulfed in darkness, but this time it did not go away. Momo's Kido spell was not there to counter it. He was completely alone in the dark. He raised his sword, trying to use his instincts to fight, but even his other senses seemed to be dulled. As stood still, he heard a whisper, "Eighth curse, storm."

There was a loud crack and a blinding flash of light as Toushiro was hit with something tremendously hot and powerful. Were he in a clearer state of mind, he would have recognized it as lightning, but he could only perceive pain as he was struck, his ice armor shattering around him and his body being injured by the intense lightning both internally and on the outside.

When it was over, he barely even noticed that the curse of darkness had disappeared, for he was lying on the ground barely conscious, his Bankai gone, his clothes singed and smoking, and his body hurting all over. He was barely able to turn his head to glance at Momo, and was relieved to see that she had not been harmed further. This relief turned to fear as her heard Aurion's footsteps approach.

"It's over. The result was not unexpected, but I shall compliment you on putting up such strong resistance. It's a shame that I must cut your lives short. You would have made great Shinigami one day," Aurion said, "Now I just need to decide how I should dispose of you. I could burn you alive with my fire. I could asphyxiate you with sulfurous gas. I could summon millions of insects and clog your lungs with them. I could even use my drought to take away the water in your bodies so that you die of dehydration. I think I will opt for the simpler option, however. Tenth curse, dea-"

"Stop!"

Toushiro glanced over, his eyes widening when he saw you it was. "Y-You are..."

"Senna!" Aurion said, his voice showing real surprise for the first time, "But how? You were killed!"

"I lived on," Senna said, seeming to wobble slightly as she walked, "I lived on… so I can bring an end to you."


	46. Chapter 46

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 46_

_Who is that girl?_ Momo thought to herself as she lay on the ground semi-conscious, _She looks like… no, she's definitely that girl that was included in the report. But wasn't she killed in battle? Why is she here?_

"Senna… how did you survive?" Aurion asked calmly, regaining his momentarily lost composure.

"You should know the answer to that. After all, you're here for the same reason I am," Senna replied. Aurion's eyes narrowed at this.

"Where is Yochito?" he said tensely.

"So now you care about Yochito?" Senna said with a glare, "He's been missing for a while now, yet you only now decide that you care about his whereabouts? It figures. After all, he was nothing more than a tool for your ascent to power, after all."

"Where is he?" Aurion repeated. Senna's eyes suddenly filled with tears.

"He's dead," she whispered, "He used his powers to revive me, but in doing so sacrificed his own life."

"I see…" Aurion said, stroking his beard in contemplation.

"It's your fault," Senna whispered, "You manipulated him with your poisonous ideology and led him astray. You made him use so much of his power helping you that reviving me cost him his life."

Aurion remained silent, to which Senna seemed to take offense.

"Well? Don't you have anything to say? He was loyal to you and because of that he got killed! Don't you have any remorse?" she yelled.

"What's happened has happened. There's no changing it," Aurion said coldly.

"Actually, there is," Senna said with a determined look, "By sacrificing himself for me, Yochito left me his powers. As caretaker of his powers, I want the power he gave to you back!"

"What? You can't mean-?" Aurion began, but stopped mid-sentence as he saw Senna lift her arm, palm facing him, while closing her eyes. His immediate reaction was to raise his sword.

"Tenth curse, death!" he shouted, but before his Zanpakuto could activate, it suddenly turned into a mass of fine threads that were quickly sucked into Senna's palm.

"What is this?" Aurion said in panic. But he already knew. The tips of his fingers and toes had become the same as his sword, disappearing and turning to threads that were recalled by Senna. With each passing second, more of Aurion disappeared as the threads came from him as if from a spool.

"You can't do this!" he screamed at her.

"I can," Senna said firmly, "Yochito gave you a new body so you could continue your plans. I am now taking it away. The power he used to revive you is wasted on someone like you."

"But- my dream! My vision!" Aurion said, only his chest and head remaining.

"Your dream was a naïve fantasy and the means you intended to use to achieve it were brutal beyond comprehension. Your vision of this world will never come to pass. Goodbye, Aurion."

Aurion let out a final scream as his head turned to threads. Within seconds they had been withdrawn into Senna's body. Momo and Toushiro, who had been watching from the ground, looked on in awe. This girl had just defeated a man who had once been a rival to Yamamoto. Due to their injuries, they didn't notice Senna approaching them in the next several minutes and extending threads that connected with the backs of their necks.

They suddenly felt renewed energy as their reiatsu was partially replenished and their wounds mostly healed. They shakily got to their feet, looking at Senna with wonder.

"Thank you…" Toushiro said after several minutes of silence, "But what just happened."

"It's hard to explain," Senna said, "I suppose you could say… I was avenging an old friend."

"That doesn't really explain anything," Momo said.

"I know," Senna laughed, "I guess the most important part is… this friend of mine. He was an experiment created by Soul Society, with truly wondrous powers, but was deemed too dangerous and sentenced to death. He managed to escape though, and went into hiding. One of his powers was the revival of people who had been "erased" but not killed. That includes me, though my story is even more complicated, and it also includes Aurion, who was executed in a method that erased his existence, but did not truly kill him. My friend revived me first, and for a while we were able to live happily together. Then he revived Aurion however, and ended up falling under his sway. I felt I had no choice but to follow him in serving Aurion, but I should have told him about what a mistake it was. Aurion treated him like dirt, despite being responsible for his renewed life. Yet Yochito continued to serve him, both in pursuit of fulfilling the fantasy-like vision Aurion told him of the future, and to get revenge on Soul Society for their treatment of him. I think he began to wise up towards the end, but by then it was too late. It wasn't long ago that it happened. Yochito and I were in a fight, and I was killed. Yochito's powers are meant to restore a person who has been erased, not someone who has simply been killed. He managed to bring me back, however, but it was at the cost of his own life. I gained his powers, however, and vowed that I would make Aurion pay for using Yochito like that."

"That's… certainly an incredible story," Toushiro said.

"Indeed," Senna nodded.

"What are you going to do now?" Momo asked.

"I have some hope that I might one day revive Yochito. By taking back the power used to revive Aurion, I might have enough strength to do it. First, however, I'm going to gain mastery over these powers. I don't know how long it will take or if it's even possible, but I won't give up until I've found a way to bring my friend back," Senna said, "As for you, I recommend that you work on getting your friend back as well."

"Karin!" Momo said, remembering why they were there, "That's right, we need to keep searching for her!"

"That won't be necessary," Senna said, "Karin Kurosaki is currently fighting in storage room 14B. Go through that door over there, go down two floors on the first flight of stairs you see, then go straight until you see the entrance. She was able to escape her cell, but is now fighting against a really nasty guy, so you should get there as quickly as possible."

"We understand. Thank you," Toushiro said.

"I have to go now," Senna said, "Say hi to Ichigo for me!"

Before they could ask how she knew Ichigo, Senna had disappeared.

* * *

Usagi yelled in anger as Karin sliced through his left wrist, only a small amount of skin keeping his hand attached to his arm. Usagi now bore several serious injuries, while Karin had only minor cuts and scratches. His situation did not make him any less arrogant, however.

"You little bitch! I'll kill you for that!" he screamed, turning his weapon loose to use as a whip. By now Karin knew how to counter this, and leapt away while simultaneously striking at Usagi, forcing him to turn his weapon rigid to block the blow.

Karin nearly smiled. She was winning. She wouldn't have thought it possible just a short while ago, but it was really happening. She was beating Usagi Usaki.

As his situation grew more serious, Usagi became increasingly reckless, leaving many openings as he attacked Karin. Karin did not let herself become too complacent, however. The tide of the battle was in her favor, but she had not won yet.

Usagi stabbed at her, but Karin merely sidestepped and took a swipe at his ankle, delivering a cut that sizzled and smoked. Karin had been using her Zanpakuto's ability to vibrate and store energy to increase its cutting power. Usagi did not act as if the repeated wounds he was receiving were affecting his fighting ability, but the look on his face, a combination of panic and rage, told Karin that her attacks were slowly having their desired effect on him.

While Karin dodged and blocked his attacks, Usagi growled curses under his breath, furiously attacking Karin and lacking the calm, snide demeanor that was typical of him. This recklessness soon cost him, for in his zeal to attack Karin, he had stuck out his weapon too far as he swung it down, causing it to completely miss Karin.

Karin immediately spotted the opportunity. Before he could bring his weapon back up, Karin used her left hand to grab onto it, at the same moment swinging her sword in a wide arc.

Usagi shuddered for a moment. Then, his upper body separated from his lower half and they both fell to the ground, sliced cleanly from the right hip to just below the left shoulder.

Karin breathed a sigh of relief, wiping sweat from her forehead and wearily sitting down. It was finally over. She had won…

"It's not over."

Karin jumped to her feet, eyes wide. She looked down at Usagi, whose upper half had pulled itself up with its remaining good arm. His face was contorted with rage, twitching and shaking. Karin backed away, unable to believe what she was seeing.

"I'm not losing… I'm not dying at the hands of a damn brat!" Usagi screamed.

Karin was too shocked to respond. It was impossible. She had cut him in two! There was no way that he could still be alive! Usagi's expression suddenly turned into a twisted smile.

"I can see it all over your face," he giggled, "You're asking "How is he still alive?" Well, I'll tell you. I'm not like you. When your body is destroyed, it's the end for you, but I've evolved beyond that. I am a superior being to you, which is why I'm going to win this battle."

Karin was unable to react to what Usagi said, still shocked at what she was seeing.

"Need a demonstration? It will be my pleasure…"

What remained of Usagi's body began shaking and convulsing. His horrible black eyes seemed to swell and bulge out. As Karin watched, she suddenly snapped back into her senses and realized that she needed to get out of here. It was too late, however.

Usagi's eyes suddenly burst out of his eye sockets along with a large amount of black liquid. Karin didn't have time to react, and was hit directly in the chest. The slimy fluid seemed to instantly permeate her skin, going inside of her. For a moment, Karin's mind was blank and she was still with stunned silence.

Then, she let out a scream and collapsed to the ground. She could feel it inside of her. Horrible, slimy, cold, and evil. She felt it flowing through her veins, making her entire body feel cold and painful. As it passed through her heart, she felt horrible stabbing pains. Nausea overtook her as it entered her stomach, but she found herself unable to vomit. It was agony as the evil liquid spread throughout her body. She instinctively grabbed her sword, wanting nothing more than to end the pain, but her hands were shaking so badly that she almost immediately dropped it.

She gasped as her lungs began to fill with the fluid. Every breath became shorter than the last as her lungs became filled with the slimy cold evil. Soon, she wasn't even able to breath, only pathetically open and close her mouth like a fish out of water. Her mind became fuzzy. Everything faded for Karin as her brain was deprived of life-giving oxygen. Within moments, she had blacked out.

* * *

_Karin found herself on a rocky beach. She blinked in surprise, looking around with confusion. Why was she suddenly here? She had been on the ground, inches from death, just moments before. Was she dead? Was this where Shinigami went after death? No, that wasn't it. She now recognized this as her inner world. But why was she here?_

"_Denryu?" she called to her Zanpakuto, "Denryu, can you hear me? What's going on?"_

_Karin's only answer was a faint laughter coming from behind a nearby pile of rocks. Karin gulped and slowly approached._

"_D-Denryu, is that you?"_

"_No…"_

_As Karin came around the rock pile, she saw the back of a black haired person facing away._

"_Who are you?" Karin asked._

"_Who am I?" the figure quietly asked, "I am Karin Kurosaki."_

_The figure turned around, revealing itself to be completely identical to Karin. Well, almost identical. In place of Karin's eyes were the black pulsating eyes of Usagi._


	47. Chapter 47

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 47_

"_What's going on?" Karin asked, staring at the mirror version of herself with Usagi's eyes, "What are you trying to accomplish, Usagi?"_

"_I am not Usagi. I am Karin Kurosaki," the faux-Karin said, "Usagi Uzaki was the name of my last host. Now that you will be taking that place, I shall take your name."_

"_What the hell are you?" Karin asked tensely, but the figure Karin had known as Usagi Uzaki was busy looking around at Karin's inner world. He – no, _it_, Karin told herself– was grinning with manic glee as it surveyed the place. Karin felt sick seeing that expression on her own face._

"_Interesting place," it said, "It's a bit rocky for my tastes, but the weather is nice!" The weather was actually quite nasty in Karin's opinion. It was not storming hard like it had at times in the past, but the clouds in the sky were dark and the water choppy and steely grey._

"_Hmm… A little bit of redecorating and this place will be perfectly suited to my liking," it said. With that, it snapped its fingers._

_Drops of black slime began falling from the sky. It started slowly, but soon grew in intensity. The ground was soon covered in slimy black sludge. The water surrounding the island appeared to turn into the sludge as well. The thing in front of Karin that had declared itself the new Karin Kurosaki laughed as thick layers of tar-like slime covered the ground._

"_Isn't it wonderful? This is the sight of a person being consumed by my power! Do you like it? I hope so, because this is where you will stay for the rest of you days. Meanwhile, I'll be out in the real world living in your body! It's a shame you're not a bit older. When I take over a body, it stops growing, so that body will never reach adulthood. Oh well, it will work well enough. I wonder what I'll do first with your body? Oh I know! I'll use it to kill the people who came to rescue you! I'll wait until they let their guard down and kill them all!"_

_It let out a sinister laugh in Karin's voice, leaving the real Karin clenching her fists in anger._

"_I won't let you," Karin said defiantly. It laughed again._

"_Oh please! What will you do about it?"_

"_I'll beat you just like before!" Karin said._

"_You don't seem to understand. Things don't work that way here! You can't just 'beat me' to gain control of your body. I have taken possession of your body. If you were to go back to your body, you wouldn't have any target to attack, because I'm inside of you! When I get back out, I'm hollowing out your organs so that even if you did regain control of your body, you'd die on the spot! You can't win!"_

"_I've heard that before," Karin said, "And every time I've heard it, it's been complete bullshit."_

"_So I am to understand that you believe you can wrest control of your body away from me?" it said in amusement._

"_Yeah, as a matter of fact I am!" Karin said, "I've come too far to just roll over and let you take my body!"_

"_Well, I'm waiting to see what you've got planned," it laughed cruelly._

_As the thing in front of her laughed, Karin rushed toward it, her fist drawn back. The being did not even move as her fist flew at its face. When she punched it in the nose, however, she found herself reeling backwards with a sharp pain on her face. She saw blood falling down onto the ground, and realized that her nose was bleeding._

"_You see now why it's pointless to try fighting? In this world, our bodies are linked to eachother as well as to your body outside. Any damage you do to me will be inflicted on yourself. That's why it's impossible to win against me! There's absolutely no way that you can-"_

_Karin struck it in the face again, wincing at the feeling of being punched herself but maintaining her stance. It looked at her in surprise and anger._

"_What do you think you're doing?"_

"_If it hurts you, I can deal with a little pain," Karin said. She punched her opponent in the gut and followed with a kick to the side that sent it stumbling away (Karin was also set off balance, but since she was prepared for it, she managed to stay on her feet)._

"_You little brat… don't you realize that it's pointless? Why do you continue resisting me?"_

"_You say that winning is impossible here, but I can tell that's a lie," Karin said, "What I see before me is not your physical form, but the form of your consciousness. If I can defeat that, you won't get control of my body."_

"_Idiot, even if you somehow defeated me, you'd be a goner too!"_

"_Well, that's just the cost of victory," Karin said grimly, "This is a battle of willpower. The one more determined to win will be the victor." With that, she continued her attack, but this time her opponent made more of an effort to dodge. It was no use however. Karin managed to land several kicks and punches. If these blows hurt her enemy as much as they hurt her, Karin knew that it wouldn't be long before it would be subdued._

"_Enough of this foolishness!" the thing said, "I'm going to stop you where you stand."_

_The slime around Karin's feet suddenly solidified, becoming a rubber-like substance that prevented her from lifting her feet. The fake Karin grinned triumphantly._

"_I'm goint leave you here now. I don't have any other business – hey, what are you doing?"_

_Karin had drawn her sword, a look of grim determination on her face._

"_You won't be able to strike me with your feet glued to the spot like that. What are you trying to do? You think you can hit me with it if you throw it?"_

"_Our bodies are linked," Karin said, "If what happens to you happens to me, then it stands that what happens to me will happen to you." With that, she turned her sword around to point it at her heart. Realizing what she was doing, the fake Karin panicked._

"_Wait! Don't!" it yelled, rushing towards her._

_Karin took a deep breath. This was it. It was the only way. She'd rather be dead than let this sicko use her body._

_Karin plunched the sword through her chest, gasping as the cold metal pierced her ribs and went through her heart and lungs. The fake Karin screamed, clutching its chest and falling to the ground just as Karin did the same. Her eyes only half open, Karin watched as the fake version of herself screamed on the ground before suddenly exploding in a burst of light. The last thing she saw before closing her eyes was the sludge disappearing from the ground._

* * *

"Karin… Karin…"

_Where was she? Everything was dark for Karin. Was she dead? Was this what death was like for Shinigami? She had already died in the living world, so if she died here, did that mean she would just disappear? But in that case, she couldn't be dead, because she was still able to think and maintain awareness._

"Karin… Karin…"

_But how could she not be dead? She had stabbed herself through the heart to defeat Usagi (or the entity that she referred to as Usagi, as the case may be). There was no way she could have survived that. But if she hadn't survived it, how could she be thinking about it now?_

"Karin… Karin…"

_And what was that voice? She couldn't identify its source, but found herself trying to go in the direction that she thought it was coming from. She had the unshakable feeling that it was there that she belonged. She went through the darkness, not knowing what to expect._

"Karin… Karin…"

Karin opened her eyes to see several faces looking down at her. Her vision was blurry, and she couldn't make out who it was at first. It was only after squinting carefully for several seconds that she was able to recognize the nearest face.

"Ichi-nii…" she whispered. Ichigo's face lit up upon hearing her voice.

"Karin… You've woken up…" he said in relief.

"Thank God you're alright…"

"I'm glad you're finally up."

"Welcome back, Karin!"

Karin squinted at the other faces, and saw that Momo, Toushiro, Rangiku, and Rukia were there too. Momo and Rukia were busy using Kido to heal her, but they along with the others were all looking at Karin with relief.

"Oh… hello…" she said groggily, her mind a bit hazy, "What're you all doing here…?"

"Isn't it obvious? We came to rescue you!" Rangiku said cheerily.

"You were great on your own though, managing to escape and all," Momo added, "I'm proud of you Karin. You handled yourself well."

"It's a good thing we found you when we did, though," Rukia said, focusing on her healing Kido, "You were seriously wounded. I guess it's a testament to your strength that you managed to survive such a wound."

"Let's not talk about that," Toushiro said, "We should just be glad that Karin is alright."

"Yeah, that's true," Momo agreed.

They were silent for the remainder of the time that Momo and Rukia healed Karin. Karin was content with this. Just being in the presence of her friends and brother again was enough for her. When Momo and Rukia had finished healing her, they helped Karin to her feet.

"Are you okay walking on your own?" Rukia asked.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," Karin said, though the others noticed that she was wobbling a bit.

"Don't pretend. Your wounds are healed, but you're still exhausted and worn out," Ichigo said, "Come on, I'll carry you out."

Karin would have ordinarily protested, but in truth was indeed quite tired, and gratefully accepted Ichigo's offer, climbing onto his back so he could carry her.

The group began walking at a brisk pace, eager to leave this place for good. While they walked, Momo and Toushiro shared their experience, which seemed to surprise Ichigo greatly. When asked, Karin told them about what had happened to her, which served to impress them quite a bit.

"Wow Karin, that's simply amazing," Rangiku said.

"You've truly become a strong Shinigami," Momo said.

"It's thanks to you guys," Karin replied, "I wouldn't have survived if not for the help that all of you gave me. I'm not just talking about the training Momo and Rangiku gave me. The support and encouragement I received from all of you really helped me."

"Don't forget to credit yourself," Toushiro said, "The progress you've made really is amazing."

The others spoke up in agreement, to which Karin could only smile at. Stifling a yawn, she gently rested her head on Ichigo's shoulder. It had been a long and difficult ordeal, but now, at least, it was finally over…

"Wait…" Toushiro said, putting a hand out to stop them as they were about to walk through a metal door, "Something is wrong…"

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked. Momo and Rangiku suddenly shiverred.

"What's going on?" Rukia asked. She did not receive an answer.

Toushiro and Momo exchanged a glance, with Momo nodding and getting down on her knees. She whispered a Kido spell, and a thin line of light crept from her palm across the floor and under the door. She took a quick intake of breath and dispelled the Kido.

"It's him," she whispered, fear evident in her voice.

"Who?" Ichigo asked.

The thing that attacked me, Matsumoto, and Soi Fon on that expedition to the living world," Toushiro said, "The thing that Kyr was talking about. The thing that abducted Karin."

"I see," Ichigo said, his eyes narrowing, "So the bastard who took Karin is through there?" Karin gripped Ichigo tightly.

"Don't even think about it," she whispered, "That thing… It's not like anything else."

"We should go back another way," Rangiku said.

"No, this is the only way out," Momo said.

"Aurion is dead, as is the rest of the leadership of the Fourth Rising," Toushiro said, "Maybe if we tell him that, he'll let us pass."

"I doubt it," Momo said, "Remember what Kyr told us? When that thing sets its eyes on a target, it will follow it to the ends of the Earth. Since you, Rangiku, and Karin have all been targeted…"

"There's no avoiding a confrontation," Ichigo said grimly. He let Karin down and faced the door. "I'll handle this. The rest of you, get out."

"It won't just let us escape past it," Toushiro said, "Unless it's beaten, trying to get past it is pointless. I'll fight it too. It's already targeted me after all."

"I'll also fight," Momo said, "I don't know how much use I'll be, but I can at least provide support."

"I want to fight too," Karin said.

"No!" Ichigo, Toushiro, and Rangiku said together.

"But-"

"Karin, you saw what that thing is capable of," Rangiku said, "Leave it to Momo, Ichigo, and Captain Hitsugaya."

"She's right Karin," Ichigo said, "I know you've gotten stronger, but this is way beyond anything you're capable of dealing with."

"And you are capable?" Karin asked, "You know what that thing has done, don't you? It's nearly indestructable! My help is as good as any against an enemy like that!"

"Karin…" Toushiro began to speak, but Momo interrupted him.

"No wait, I have an idea," she said, "I know something Karin can do. What's more, I know how we can beat that guy."

* * *

A hiss came from behind the skull-like mask. The one with no name, Master of the Karekol people, waited for his prey inside a large domed room. His enemy was just beyond those doors. There were three targeted ones, plus one that had gotten in the way of one of his targets. Those would be the first to go, but he would eliminate all six of them. Twin scimitars were gripped in his clawed hands, ready for combat.

He knew they were there, behind that door. They would come out soon, he was sure of it. It was only through this room that they could reach the exit of the fortress. He knew that and they knew that. If they were smart, they would also know that they couldn't escape confrontation. This would be the final confrontation. As soon as Aurion had been defeated, he had sent the Karekol away. There was no need to involve them in this matter. It was his personal desire to finish them off, not part of his duties as Master and Protector of the Karekol.

There was a large explosion at the door way, throwing up smoke and obscuring the view. From the smoke, two figures rushed towards him, one the ice winged boy he had fought before, the other a man with a black cape and sword. He raised his swords to block their blows, and saw that the four women were standing behind them to the back. Two of them, an orange-blonde haired woman and a shorter black haired girl with a white Zanpakuto, were standing as if on guard, while the other two were in the center. He recognized one of them as the girl he abducted, and the other as the winged girl who had fought him before.

"Momo!" the white haired ice boy yelled as he crossed blades.

"Right!" the winged girl said. She raised her hand, releasing a massive energy blast towards the ceiling. The explosive blast sent chunks of stone falling down on them. Both sides were forced to retreat to avoid being crushed by the falling rubble. The blast was so powerful that it had penetrated the roof, and daylight now filtered down into the room.

"Okay, now trap him for a moment and be prepared to flee!" the winged girl said, wrapping her wings around herself and the other girl.

The black sword man and the ice boy clashed with the Master of the Karekol. They were strong, but they were neither skilled enough to land any blows nor powerful enough to damage him if they did. There was little for him to fear.

The two Shinigami fighting him suddenly got back, however, and the ice boy swung his sword, conjuring a massive ice dragon. The dragon of ice flew straight at him, and froze the bottom half of his skeletal body to the ground. It was of no concern, of course. He had broken out of ice before; it would not be difficult to do it again.

At that moment however, the wings of the girl had unfolded, and both she and the other one had fierce looks on their faces.

"Tenra!" the winged girl said.

"Antei Tensei!" said the other girl.

A strange bubble formed at the end of the abducted girl's Zanpakuto. With a swing of her sword, the thing detached and flew straight at the Master of the Karekol. It didn't hit him, but instead flew over his shoulder before stopping in mid-air just behind him. At that moment, all of the enemies before him began to flee. The winged girl grabbed the abducted girl, the ice boy grabbed the blonde woman, and the black sword man grabbed the girl with the white sword. All of them immediately flew toward the hole in the ceiling. Hissing in anger at their cowardice, the Master of the Karekol broke free from the ice and charged toward them.

At that moment, something strange happened. The bubble that now hovered in mid-air behind him began to twist and distort the air around it. A single black dot emerged, no more than the size of a pinhead. Time itself stopped for a moment. Then, with a loud roar, everything in the room was pulled toward the void. Air rushed into it. Pieces of rubble from the ceiling were pulled into the spot as if it were a tiny black hole. The floor was ripped apart, and the ceiling began caving in. The master of the Karekol could only look up at the outlines of his enemies against the sky before he too was sucked into the void.


	48. Chapter 48

Hinamori's Apprentice

_Chapter 48_

"And so, Ichigo Kurosaki, in light of your bravery in the Fourth Rising Crisis, your months of training, and your past accomplishments, it is decided that you will now be granted the title of Captain of Fifth Division," Captain-Commander Yamamoto said. Those observing applauded Ichigo, who bowed in respect.

The eleven current Captains stood facing Ichigo. Behind a wood rail were those observing, including the Vice-Captains, some upper-seated Shinigami, a few nobles, and Karin and Rukia. Upon returning from the enemy base, Karin and those that rescued her had been thoroughly questioned about what had happened. Soi Fon had been in favor of punishing them for rescuing her, but the other Captains vetoed the idea, pointing out that because of their actions a great threat to Soul Society had been defeated. Soon, it was decided that Ichigo's accomplishments finally merited official bestowment of the Fifth Division Captain position, and they were now at the official announcement (though it was widely known that he would be stepping up as Captain even before this was scheduled).

Karin was proud of her brother, but taking a glance at Momo, she felt a bit of concern. She knew how much Momo had wanted to become the Fifth Divison Captain; to have gone through so much and still not get the position was surely quite unpleasant for her. Momo clapped for Ichigo and certainly didn't show any ill-will toward him, but she was unable to completely hide her disappointment.

"On to the next subject, would Vice-Captain Momo Hinamori please come forward?" Yamamoto continued.

Momo looked surprised, but came forward as instructed. She looked nervous as she stood beside Ichigo in front of the Captains.

"As Ichigo Kurosaki has now been named the new Captain of Fifth Division, I must regrettably deny your bid to obtain the position," Yamamoto said. Momo bowed slightly, to casual observers out of respect for Yamamoto's decision, but in reality an attempt to hide the sadness evident in her eyes.

"However, upon analysis of your performance in the recent conflict, and in recognition of your high degree of talent with Kido, another arrangement has been made," Yamamoto continued, "A request has been put forth for your transfer from the Gotei 13 to the Kido Corps, where they would like you to serve as Captain."

Momo's eyes widened. Her mouth hung open and she made several unintelligible sounds before whispering, "Me? Captain of the Kido Corps?"

Several Captains nodded.

"Your Bankai is underdeveloped," Kyoraku said, "However, your mastery of Kido and experience running the Fifth Division more than meet the qualifications."

"Thus, it was decided that the position of Captain of the Kido Corps, which has been empty for some time, would be ideal for you," Unohana said.

"Negotiations with the Kido Corps leadership have already taken place," Shuuhei Hisagi said, "All that remains is for you to accept the offer."

Momo seemed to be in a daze, apparently imagining herself as Captain of the Kido Corps. As leader of one of the three branches of Seireitei's military, she would be of equal standing with the Captain-Commander. Indeed, Captain of Kido Corps would be more prestigious than Captain of Fifth Division. And yet…

"I'm sorry, Captain-Commander, but I must reject the offer," Momo said. Karin and many others looked at her in disbelief.

"Hmm? And might I ask why you would reject such a prestigious offer?" Yamamoto said.

"I am truly honored to have been considered for such a prestigious position, but my place is with Fifth Division," Momo said, "That is where I belong, and I'd like to continue serving it as Vice-Captain."

"I see…" Yamamoto said, leaning forward to focus on her.

Momo was silent, and Karin could not help but be amazed that she had turned down such an amazing offer. The other observers seemed just as surprised, but only a few of them understood why Momo had done this. Karin was among the few who understood. Momo felt close kinship with those in her division. After being betrayed by Aizen, she focused on leading the division that he had betrayed. She felt kinship towards its members, as they had all been devoted to Aizen like she was, and were hit almost as hard by his betrayal. She didn't want to just be Captain, she wanted to be Captain of Fifth Division. To her, being part of Fifth Division was an essential part of who she was.

"Well, there you go, old man, she rejected the offer," Ichigo said loudly, snapping Karin out of her thoughts. There were murmurs throughout the room as people were surprised that he would use such language in front of the Captain-Commander, especially at a ceremony for him.

"Indeed she did," Yamamoto said, calmly stroking his beard, "Very well. I hereby declare Momo Hinamori to be the new Captain of Fifth Division!"

Momo looked like she had been hit by a board. "Eh? Wha-? But I- But he- Ichigo… Captain? Cap! Tain! Captain? Captain?" Momo babbled incoherently, the shock of the announcement apparently rendering her numb for a moment. There were several in the audience who were in a similar state of shock. Hadn't Ichigo just been declared Captain? How could there be two Captains of Fifth Division?

"Allow me to explain," Kyoraku said with a small smile, "In day-to-day administration and Kido, you are beyond qualified for the position of Captain. The only thing that prevented you from being Captain was lack of Bankai. Now that you've attained it, you meet the technical qualifications, but you still haven't mastered Bankai to the extent most other Captains do upon achieving their position. Hence, it was decided that a test of your loyalty toward your division would be given. By showing how loyal you are to your division, you have compensated for your incomplete Bankai skills."

"It was decided that though you might not be as strong as most Captains-to-be, your loyalty and devotion made you most suited to lead Fifth Division," Toushiro said.

"But… what about Ichigo?" Momo asked.

"Do I look like the type of guy who wants to be Captain?" Ichigo asked, "No way! I was never too hot on the idea of being a Captain. I'm not even dead yet, remember? I belong in the Living world with my friends and family. Now that they've decided you're qualified, they have no reason to force me into the position."

"But what about your sister? Weren't you staying as Captain so you could look after her?" Momo asked, glancing at Karin.

"I've talked it over with the Captains," Ichigo said, "Karin has been accepted as an official Shinigami and will be taken into Fifth Division."

"No way!" Karin loudly said, drawing many stares. Ichigo gave her a rare smile.

"I'll entrust Karin's safety to you. Of course, I should also say that I entrust it to Karin herself, as she has become quite strong as your apprentice," Ichigo said, "She'll be just as safe with you as she would be with me. I'm needed by my dad, my other sister, and my friends more than I'm needed here."

Karin suddenly climbed over the wooden rail that surrounded the observers and ran to embrace Ichigo, deeply touched that he considered her worthy enough that she didn't need his constant protection and also sad that this meant he would be leaving. She didn't care that people were watching, she was too overcome with emotion.

"Ichigo… you're really going to go back?" she asked.

"Yeah, I am," Ichigo said, "I'm alive, I belong in the living world. I'm sorry, but right now you and I are from two different worlds. It's strange. I should be mourning the fact that you're no longer of the same world as me, but I feel happy for you. I'm happy that you found purpose, and I'm happy that you've made new friends here in Soul Society. I'd love to stay with you, but straddling two different worlds is simply too much for me. I need to go back to the Living World where I belong. It will be another sixty or seventy years before I'm able to truly belong in this world, but until then, I trust you to keep yourself safe, and I trust Momo to look after and guide you."

"Thank you… Ichi-nii…" Karin said, trying to avoid tears. Momo put a hand on her shoulder.

"You're still my apprentice, in addition to being my friend. I'll look out for you and be there for you any time you're feeling lonely. You'll be in my division, after all," Momo said, "In fact, as soon as they decide you're qualified, I want you as my Vice-Captain." Karin smiled at this.

"Thank you, Captain Hinamori."

_The End_

* * *

Thank you for reading! That's it, Hinamori's Apprentice is now finished! This was by far the longest story I've ever written. It was fun to write, and I hope that you all found it fun to read. I'd like to thank every person who reviewed, favorited, and read this story. I wish I could thank each of you individually, but there are so many that I can't, so I'd like to give an extra big thank you to everyone! I'm not sure what else to say after finishing such a long story, but thank you again and please review!


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